Relentless
by Minn-Dreamweaver
Summary: Cyclonis has presented a peace treaty to Atmos, but will only sign it on the condition that the Storm Hawks are handed over to her. In a world that is slowly turning on them, can the Storm Hawks find the truth? Who can they trust? No OCs!
1. Prologue  Treaty

_AN: Oh my sour biscuits and gravy! I'm back! It's fantastic! I have missed you guys so much and now we can go through this wonderful experience all over again! First of all, let me say that it's not just me here – this story was a colab between WhispertheWolf and myself. Once I told her the initial idea, we've planned this non-stop. It's been a LOT a LOT a LOT of work, so recognize her for the awesome person and writer that she is! Go read one of her stories! Her profile is here:_

_.net/u/1605135/_

_Now, on to the story! Mind, this is just a prologue – the chapters will be much longer. And don't forget to review! I've missed hearing from you guys for so long, and I'm sure Wolf would appreciate it too!_

**Relentless**

Prologue – Treaty

Squadron Log:

We never thought it would come to this. Granted, we knew it would be difficult...yet difficult in ways which we would never have imagined. It already seems like much time has passed since Cyclonis came forth with the treaty. Of course, no one could have predicted the outcome that such an act would lead to.

I doubt we'll ever forget that moment. It was only last week, wasn't it? But so much has changed since then. Before Atmos turned their backs on us... and put their faith in Cyclonis.

It was the council that made the final decision. I can still hear the words of that broadcast; the one where the registrar and all those under him agreed to abide by the terms of Cyclonis' treaty... regardless of the cost. Of course, the terms are agreeable enough – the clauses sound. All except one. It is that one which makes all the difference.

Amid minor details and other notes, the treaty contains six clauses:  
>The terra clause: Any conquered terras will be returned to their rightful ruling.<br>The raid clause: No attacks on either sides' supplies will be made.  
>The prisoner clause: Any prisoners from the opposing side will be released and returned.<br>The no trespasser clause: Pilots from either side my not enter the other's airspace.  
>The weapons clause: Selling weapons to any third parties is illegal.<p>

For both the Atmos Alliance and Cyclonia, this treaty promises to be beneficial, assuming both sides abide by the rules set down. However, those are only the first five. The sixth is a term for compliance. Without it, Cyclonis will not sign.

She wants the Storm Hawks.  
>She wants us.<p>

We don't know why. Is it because we have the reputation of foiling the majority of her plans? However, that theory in itself makes no sense, for Cyclonis isn't aiming to conquer Atmos now. Now... of all things she is offering a _peace_ treaty. There is talk that Cyclonis came forth with this treaty because of Terra Tundras. The Third Degree Burners had recently conquered it from Cyclonian rule, and Cyclonis is feeling the effects of the drain on her resources. However, these are merely theories... rumours spread about to give logic and reasoning to an otherwise impossible scenario. No... whatever the reason we aren't about to turn ourselves in.

It is Aerrow that stands firm on that point. Stubborn as always, he remains convinced that Cyclonis is up to something more sinister. He says it's not like her to suddenly give up on her desire to have all of Atmos at her disposal. However, there is no proof whatsoever to back this up. In fact, Cyclonis has shown that she is more than willing to abide by her own terms, for she has already acted on the prisoner clause, much to the happiness of many throughout Atmos. However, she has stressed that none of the other conditions will be met, until she has all of us inside Cyclonia Tower.

At first we hadn't been too worried. After all, we had faced numerous Talons before. Go ahead, send out soldiers and Nightcrawlers – we can fight against them all. But then... things took a much sinister turn.

Of course, we should have realized it earlier. After all, the promise of a long-desired peace is more than tempting for anyone. And with the support of the council... there is nothing to hold them back.

It's all talk for now. We haven't seen any of the other squadrons. But we can feel it. It's the tension in the air, and the looks from others that we pass on the street. They're turning on us. Slowly but surely, Atmos believes that handing us over is the right thing to do. And truthfully, I can't blame them.

But there's still a risk. If Cyclonis really is planning something... if the treaty has some kind of flaw... we are the only ones left. We are the only ones who can guarantee that Atmos will be safe. Everyone else is too eager to have the treaty signed. Too eager for a peace that they feel is one hundred percent guaranteed. They know... we'll soon be on the run. They know, because everyone can feel it. It is the tension before the storm, and the paranoia of being hunted. There are squads I would like to think of as friends, but we can no longer be sure.

We don't know who to trust.


	2. Inside Information

_AN: Here we go! First chappie! And guess what? It bites. Seriously, this is the worst chapter in the entire fic so PLEASE don't give up right away. I know it's boring and I know there's no action, and it's short, but wait! It gets really really really good!_

_Remember, WhispertheWolf had just as much a hand in this story as I did. Check out her profile here: (just remove the spaces)_

_h t t p : / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / u / 1 6 0 5 1 3 5 /_

_Also, I'd like to point out that while, yes, Proposal was sort of the pre-published look into this story, it's not necessarily the same fic. Cyclonis may have presented her treaty entirely differently in this universe, so don't feel you have to read Proposal or remember the details of it to read this fic. Also, just so you peeps roughly know the time this takes place, it's immediately pre-Exodus (as in, Exodus doesn't exist yet but all the SH bonds are formed with the people they meet on their missions prior). Anywho, make sure to review!_

Chapter 1: Inside Information

"_...That is the council's final word. It is in the interest of the Atmos Alliance that we accept the terms. The Storm Hawks... are encouraged to turn themselves in."_

A glitch flew across the screen as the film wheel was cranked backwards harshly, the squeal of the audio track stuttering with the well-worn film. "_...Storm Hawks... are encouraged to turn themselves in."_

Again. He had to hear those words again.

_"...turn themselves in."_

"Aerrow?"

The sky knight started a bit at the projector when he heard his name called. He turned to see Piper standing in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame while the other gripped the air in front of her gently, her face the very picture of concern and uncertainty. "What are you doing?" she asked softly.

Aerrow sighed and mutely flipped the switch of the projector, shutting off its power."Nothing," he said, walking around the side of the couch and falling down upon the cushions. "Nothing important."

Not letting that answer pass in the slightest, Piper walked over to where Aerrow laid carelessly and sat down beside him. "You shouldn't be watching that," she said gently. "You'll just upset yourself."

Aerrow sighed dismissively with no real emotion. He didn't care. It didn't make any difference. Piper eyed him carefully, still concerned. Aerrow hadn't been himself lately. Then again, having your views and beliefs in everyone turned upside down would shake anybody. Just... Aerrow seemed to have taken it harder than the others. And why wouldn't he? He, who had given so much for the safety of many now who were debating turning against him.

Knowing there was nothing she could say, Piper merely gripped Aerrow's wrist softly, running her fingers over the back of his hand sadly. "Aerrow," she eventually began, but not knowing where to go, she let her sentence drop. They sat in silence for a while, Aerrow merely staring blankly at the screen, as though he were still watching the recorded broadcast of when Atmos decided to cooperate with Cyclonis.

"How?" he eventually asked the screen, barely moving his lips. "How did this happen?"

Piper sighed sadly. "They believe in the treaty, Aerrow," she said. "They believe in peace."

"No," he stated firmly, tilting his head in Piper's direction but still not looking at her directly. "They believe in Cyclonis."

Piper's face fell a little in gentle understanding. She wasn't going to argue.

"I do understand, Piper," Aerrow assured her, peering into her eyes. "And if it were anyone else... I may even consider it." He turned back to the screen with a hollow laugh on his face, his stubbornness and determination as clear as ever. "But this is Cyclonis we're talking about. She wouldn't do something like this. Not without a reason... or a plan."

"They say that Tundras – " but Piper was cut off by a cool chuckle from Aerrow.

"That excuse?" he asked sarcastically. "Piper, Cyclonis had control over those mines for years. She would have created her own stocks on Cyclonia. Why keep all her resources in one place? No... if that were the case why act so quickly? How could she have gotten that treaty out so fast?"

Piper sighed again, this time a little exasperated at Aerrow. "You're over-thinking this," she stated simply, as if scolding a mischievious child. "Cyclonis just probably didn't want to wait for her stockpile to drain. You know her. She's always planning ahead."

Aerrow sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Piper smiled playfully and crossed her hands behind her head, satisfied and leaning back against the couch. "Of course I'm right." Aerrow smiled up at her as she grinned. But then, a sudden thought occurred to him and his good humour which had come on so suddenly disappeared just as quickly. "You don't think they're right...?"

Piper's smile also faded, unpleasantly surprised that Aerrow would ask such a question and a little taken aback.

"Well... no... of course not," she said defensively. "I mean, I understand their viewpoint as well, but no one can deny that this decision was rushed into without much reflection. It was already agreed among us that we would look more into Cyclonis before arriving at anything... final." Piper stuttered a bit on the last word of her sentence, and Aerrow caught its meaning all too clearly. Yet he couldn't help but regain some of his good mood in being reminded that his team stood behind him.

"Still," he said, leaning back in the same way Piper had moments ago. "That doesn't really promise to be quite as easy as it used to, does it?"

Piper's face fell at the off-hand way Aerrow spoke about the issue... as if he didn't fully realize the extent to which the problem could spread. "Nobody has made any moves yet," she agreed. "But we have to tread carefully. That's why we've been staying in clear airspace these last couple of days."

Aerrow stared hard and almost fiercely at the wall in thought. "Just rumours..." he whispered softly. "But with that ring of truth. Piper, I don't want to mistrust our friends any more than you do, but I can't shake the feeling that..." Aerrow didn't want to say it, and Piper didn't need to hear it. She knew. It was only a matter of time before squads turned. But Aerrow suddenly rose from the couch, an old smile coming onto his face which warmed Piper's heart to see. It was the smile of an impending mission. Aerrow had a plan of action.

"Piper, call the others to the bridge. I have a course set in mind."

* * *

><p>The team wasn't nervous, but there was a distinct tension in the air as they all gathered around the table on the bridge, Aerrow being the focus at the front. His mind was active, but there was an inner ease about the way he stood that calmed the others – a good quality for leadership.<br>"There's no sense in being subtle about it," Aerrow opened. "This situation is going to become a lot worse if we don't act now. How much of what is being said is actually rumours... I don't know. But what I do know is that we need some inside information. We need to know exactly where people stand. The council, the squadrons... getting the public view won't help much."

"What do you think we should do?" Finn asked, Radarr quietly mimicking the question in a small bark.

"We need to know who we can trust and what's being done about the..." Aerrow paused, searching for the right word. "..._condition_ of the treaty. Granted, we agreed that we would look into Cyclonis' motives – if she even has any past what she has told the council – but first things first. I propose we consult Harrier."

The team looked a little surprised and uneasy about this sudden announcement, but Piper was the first to speak. "Aerrow, are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean..." she drifted off. None of them wanted to openly admit to their suspicions towards their friends, but Harrier was a different case. He was one of the knights to be included in the council's deliberation towards the treaty.

"I know it's risky," Aerrow said. "But Harrier is one of our oldest allies. He won't be quick to forget our aid on Terra Rex, and besides..." Aerrow hesitated again, not liking having to think on it. "If things turned out... not the way we'd expect, I doubt his heart would be in it." The team didn't look very reassured by these last words, but it was the best source available to them.

Piper was silent for a bit as she contemplated Aerrow's suggestion, but then turned to their pilot with confidence. "Stork, set a course for Terra Rex."

* * *

><p>Harrier was waiting for them at the head of the grand table inside the dining hall of the stadium. As the Storm Hawks marched inside, the sky knight of Rex turned around at the sound of their footsteps. The rest of his team was absent, which Aerrow felt to be a good sign.<p>

"Storm Hawks," Harrier greeted them warmly with a smile as they walked up beside him.

"Harrier," Aerrow said with a returning smile, shaking his hand and betraying hidden relief in his voice. "It's good to see you."

"And you," Harrier said in somewhat a posh manner, yet not without sincerity. "I feared that when you called it was due to a... darker business."

Aerrow nodded knowingly, but reassured Harrier all was well enough. "We've come because we need information," he stated. "We've kept ourselves separate from most people since the announcement, but we need to know what's going on. What do the squadrons think on all this?"

Harrier sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, that news is not so good. I have spoken with the council, as you know, and their position remains firm. They feel it is in the best interest of the alliance and of Atmos at large to abide by all terms of the treaty."

"I suspected as much," Aerrow said. "The question is... what do you think?" The tension spiked at Aerrow's rather sudden question, but his team knew that it was a sign of his faith that he would be so direct. Harrier hesitated, obviously a little uneasy at the partial accusation and took time to carefully choose his words.

"I cannot deny that the conditions which Cyclonis laid out are fair," he began. "Yet I will not place my faith in such questionable people. I remember perfectly well what happened the last time I made a deal with Cyclonians."

Aerrow and the rest of his team broke out in smiles at Harrier's words. They had chosen right to come here.

"What of the others?" Piper asked, more relaxed now and open to talking. "The Zeroes? The Neck Deeps? What are the other squads' views on all of this?"

"I have had... some... correspondence with them," Harrier began slowly, but Aerrow didn't like the look on his face.

"And?" the red haired knight prompted.

Harrier sighed. "Most are undecided. They are neither with you nor against you. They approve of the peace the treaty so easily promises, but they are not willing just yet to... commit."

"But will they?" Aerrow asked more forcefully.

"...I can't say..." Harrier almost whispered in regret. "Although... I feel it very likely."

Aerrow's face fell as well as the rest of his team's. This was confirmation. Their friends... they were turning their backs on the Storm Hawks.  
>"How far will they go?" Aerrow asked quietly and with dead seriousness.<p>

"Some... may search for you."

Aerrow sighed and looked away from Harrier for a moment, shaking his head. But then, his spirit relit and he looked at Harrier powerfully.

"Is there anyone?" Aerrow asked urgently. "Anyone besides yourself?"

At this, Harrier smiled. "I am pleased to say that of the squads I have spoken with, there is one squadron who appear to remain your ally. The Rebel Ducks will do nothing to thwart you. In fact... they may even assist you."

"What about you?" Aerrow questioned, though glad to hear they could rely on one squad other than the Guardians. "Can you offer us any aid? We wish to investigate Cyclonis and the treaty... Maybe find out if there's anything more to this than it may initially seem."

At this Harrier turned his head away, a little uneasy. "I'm afraid there isn't much I can do."

"What?" Finn protested. "But, dude! You just said you were on our side!" Piper nudged Finn hard in the ribs with her elbow, forcing him to be quiet. Finn bent over, rubbing the area just under his chest, pouting all the while.

However, the comment left its effect upon Harrier. "Rest assured, I am your ally. The problem lies in my position with the council. They have confidence in my reliability but only as long as I pretend to stand by their decisions."

"It's just the council , though," Aerrow tried to reason. "Surely it shouldn't be that difficult."

"It isn't just them, though," Harrier said. "Since the fall of the Red Eagles, Atmosia has looked to the Guardians as their primary substitute. However..." Harrier paused a moment and his face darkened. "It was only a temporary position. The Red Eagles have found themselves a new sky knight."

"What?" Piper asked, not having heard about this event at all. "Who?"

"I don't know," Harrier confessed. "Some new bloke straight out of the academy. That is unimportant, though the consequences of it are all too strong. The return of their true squad means that my influence with the council has severely diminished. I'm afraid that if I were to push my views on them... it would not end well. No, I remain certain that I can be of better use to you by staying close to Atmosia. I'll learn what I can, and alert you at any new developments."

Aerrow placed a hand on Harrier's shoulder, smiling up at him. "We understand. Thanks for everything, Harrier."

Harrier smiled down at Aerrow, a sudden idea flickering to life behind the older knight's eyes. "I can be of some assistance, however..." Harrier proceeded to walk a few steps down the length of the table, paused at a pile of assorted papers, and pulling out one of a map. "There is a largely unknown terra to the far south of here," he said, indicating its position on the map while Piper hurried close, the rest of the team following behind. "It is called Terra Latebra. Head there if you seek refuge. No squads will be able to find you at that location. Although..." Harrier paused for a moment, while giving the map to Piper. "I must emphasize that you first visit the Ducks. As I said, they will be willing to help you. I really must stress on that point."

Aerrow was a little taken aback at how concerned Harrier seemed for them, but smiled at him all the same. "Don't worry," he reassured Harrier. "It'll be a good idea to restock on supplies before we make our next move. We'll be sure to take your advice and stop off at both Terra Gale and Terra Latebra."

"I am pleased to hear it," Harrier said with a large smile.

"We won't burden you any longer," Piper said, directing a thankful smile at Harrier. "Thank you for everything. We won't call upon you again unless it's urgent."

"Until then," Harrier noted, as he dismissed the team. "I wish you the best of luck."


	3. Friends

**Minn: ****WOOT! 100 REVIEWS! (Granted, for EFTFS and not for Relentless...) But still! 100 REVIEWS! Made my day. :D Thanks, angel for being the 100****th****! And everyone else who reviewed as well!**

**Alrighty. First of all, let me say sorry for the delay, but I have a good excuse! Soon after posting chapter one I went on a shopping spree and got myself two computer games which were AMAZING. Needless to say, they rather succeeded in distracting me. (For the record, Portal 2 is sheer brilliance). Also, I spent much of my time re-watching the complete SH series along with making another video for YouTube, advertizing this fic. You can find the trailer here:  
>h t t p :  / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = u S h 3 Q N Z N q K 0 & f e a t u r e = f e e d l i k **

**So ya... I didn't ignore this fic for nothing. XP **

**Anywho, I would like to add that this chapter represents weeks of pain for both me and Wolf. (Whose profile is here: h t t p : / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / u / 1 6 0 5 1 3 5 / W h i s p e r t h e W o l f) We went through a hell of a time trying to figure out exactly how we were going to write the Ducks into the story, so please take a moment to appreciate that they even made an appearance. lol! It took us forever to work out the infamous 'Duck Problem' or DP as we called it. XP**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy and please remember to review! It speeds up updates and motivates me IMMENSLY.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2: Friends<span>

Four skimmers guiding the _Condor_ descended onto Terra Gale. However, one would not recognize it as Gale if they had only seen it while in its midst of oppression from Cyclonia, as the Storm Hawks had. Cyclonis had obviously taken a pre-emptive move to display her commitment to the treaty, for even though the smelters on Gale had not yet been torn down, the large plumes of smoke ceased to emerge from the huge stacks. Already many of the Gale citizens who no longer felt the ever-present threat of Cyclonian invasion were walking amongst their streets, erecting new buildings and repairing those which had been raided. Aerrow gazed down at the ground below them in surprise, amazed at the vast difference in the prosperity of the terra in only a handful of days... and it was all a foretelling of the advantages that were promised in the treaty.

The leader of the Storm Hawks looked up at Piper, who was flying beside him and equally taken aback at the difference that laid before them. Aerrow could read the uneasy expression on her face, and he shared her concerns.

"You think..." Piper muttered, but didn't know how to voice her thoughts.

"Don't worry," Aerrow reassured both his navigator and himself. "Harrier said they're on our side."

Piper smiled, but she didn't seem completely sure. Aerrow couldn't blame her.

However, their premature concerns turned out to be groundless, for upon landing on the outcropping occupied by both Wren and his granddaughter, Dove ran out to greet their allies.

"Storm Hawks," she greeted her friends with much enthusiasm. "We were very pleasantly surprised when we heard you call."

Aerrow and Piper passed a meaningful glance between one another, remembering that Harrier had said he had talked with the Ducks.

"You were?" Aerrow asked.

"Of course," Dove assured with a smile, thinking Aerrow had questioned her pleasure rather than her surprise. "Both grandpapa and I have been worried... it must be hard for you."

"Sure seems easy for you, though," Junko stated rather naively as he walked forward from his skimmer to join the rest of the group. "Gale looks fantastic." He beamed down a smile at Dove, but Aerrow and Piper shuffled slightly where they stood, uncomfortable in the given circumstances.

"Ah, yes..." Dove agreed, her face falling slightly at the realization of her friends' discomfort, yet not losing the spark of pride in it that came with her natural strong patriotism. "Of course, Cyclonis has not signed the treaty, so technically we have no right to tear down the smelters, but her pre-emptive release of Alliance prisoners and the knowledge that she would not invade here again has been more than enough to motivate everyone. The Ducks have led the efforts to restore our terra to the glory it once held and-"

"I'll say," Finn said, interrupting Dove's explanation. "Forget Latebra! I say we stay here. It's way nicer now than the run-down rock it used to be."

"Finn!" Piper cried, greatly annoyed and hoping to silence her companion before he could do any more harm. "Think before you open your mouth!"

Finn stammered from having been cut off so harshly, but let his statement fall away as he looked across at Dove's face. Her expression had turned downcast, and she looked at the ground uncomfortably. Though still on edge, Aerrow placed a hand on Dove's shoulder, reassuring her. "It's okay Dove," he said to her gently while casting a scolding glance at Finn. "We know not to ask much from Gale."  
>But this comment didn't have the effect Aerrow desired. It was clear from the torn look on Dove's face that she wished more than anything she could assist the Storm Hawks completely. Yet at the same time, one couldn't ignore the massive benefits that the treaty had given Gale. Out of all the other terras, they had one of the largest motivations to see the treaty signed. It would be noticed and begrudged from many on Gale if evident aid was given to the Storm Hawks.<br>For the moment, though, it seemed Dove decided not to dwell on it too much. She pushed the matter to the back of her mind and grinned back at Aerrow, though the sky knight was unable to determine what conclusion she had come to through the somewhat forced smile she presented.

It was at this time that Aerrow also noted that the sky knight of the Rebel Ducks seemed to be absent. Aerrow supposed he must simply be with the others, aiding the efforts to rebuild Gale, yet at the same time Aerrow couldn't help but feel that it boded something ill. However, there was nothing to give evidence to Aerrow's suspicions, so for the moment he remained silent. Besides, it didn't feel right to be suspicious of his friends... even though he knew it was wiser to be cautious.

"We can be of some help, though," Dove insisted, bringing Aerrow out of his thoughts. "You are going to Latebra, yes?"

Aerrow frowned slightly at this. So she picked up on Finn's slip... they weren't supposed to let anyone know where they were going. However, Dove had turned to the others so she missed Aerrow's reaction.

"...Yes," Piper hesitated, knowing it was pointless to try to hide it now.

"Do not worry," Dove reassured her. "Your secret is safe with us. No one will know where you are going."  
>It was the third person view in which Dove spoke on these matters which reassured Aerrow. It was as if she would never consider that she or the Ducks were under suspicion. Yet... was it sincere? Could someone be that blind in faith, or could it be an act?<p>

"We appreciate the effort, Dove," Aerrow said, stepping forward and deciding that there was no point to further speculation just yet.

Dove beamed at Aerrow's acceptance. "We'll be able to provide you with supplies – crystals and otherwise – to keep you going for a while," Dove informed. "I know it's not much, but-"

"It's fine," Aerrow assured her. "Thanks for doing this for us, Dove."

Dove smiled, yet once again that sad torn gleam echoed behind her eyes. "I wish I could do more."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long to load Gale's surplus onto the <em>Condor<em>, there not being much in the first place. Yet as Dove promised, it was enough to last the Storm Hawks for a time. This was a large advantage, for it meant that they would not have to stop in at Wayside or some similar terra for quite a while. Dove bade them an optimistic farewell, though no one else (not even Wren) had appeared to see the Storm Hawks off. Too busy rebuilding Gale... or... something...

"Aerrow?"

The knight started as Piper called him back to the present. (In fact, he had become easy to startle as of late). Piper gazed at Aerrow, concerned, but there was some sort of subtle feature about her look which told Aerrow she had put her worries of their situation behind her... now she was simply wondering about the depth of Aerrow's thoughts. However, he smiled back at her, telling her all was well for the moment. He needn't worry the team with his half-suspicions...

The group was gathered together haphazardly on the bridge. It was a far distance to Latebra, yet no one seemed to want to stay apart from the others for long. There was a feeling of mutual tension and hesitant uneasiness in the air – like a surreal jetlag marked with cautious anticipation. For the most part, the irregular feeling kept most of the Storm Hawks quiet. The only sounds which filled the bridge were the gentle plucking of chords off Finn's guitar, accompanied by the soft snores of Junko, who despite being just as aware as the others on the nature of their trip, couldn't avoid settling down for a quick nap. Stork, of course, was busy piloting the _Condor_, giving Aerrow, Piper and Radarr not much to do.

Piper had picked up a book half-heartedly, but threw it back onto the table minutes later. She was lounging on the same couch as Aerrow and Radarr, ninety degrees apart from the other where Junko continued to snooze. Unable to focus on any one thing for a time, Piper found her eyes straying from place to place on the bridge. First she turned to Stork's back, followed by Junko, quickly turning to Finn as he played off a particularly awful chord, straying off to Radarr, (who followed Junko's lead and was beginning to doze off as well), finally coming to rest on Aerrow. He was off in thought. Piper could tell because the knight's eyes remained fixed on some distant point, and he seemed to be unaware that Piper was studying him.

"Aerrow?"

The redhead startled out of his thoughts and, after a brief pause, smiled casually at Piper.

But she didn't smile back. Piper's restless mind put her on edge, and she was not only curious as to what Aerrow was thinking about, but how it could hold his attention. She sighed in small fatigue, causing the grin to vanish softly from Aerrow's face.

"What are you thinking about?" the navigator asked casually with some small suspicion.

Aerrow looked down at the floor before facing Piper. He shrugged in an offhand manner and sat up, changing his gaze towards Finn. "Nothing much."

Piper sighed again, leaning back and turning to Radarr lying between them, patting his head softly. He squawked in sleepy appreciation. "How can you stay so calm?" Piper asked Aerrow. "I can barely sit still. Shouldn't we make some kind of plan? Where do we go from here?"

Aerrow knew what Piper meant – and he didn't like it any more than her. Because they both knew... though Latebra was a lucky chance and a smart move, it still felt like running away. "Let's just wait until we get to the terra," Aerrow replied. "We'll probably be more focused then."

Following Aerrow's gaze, Piper turned to Finn, who hadn't looked up from his guitar to listen to his friends' hushed conversation. Though the wingman's face was blank, his playing had gotten steadily more agitated. He was making more mistakes than normal and the chords came out sounding forced, stale and metallic. All rhythm was gone to be replaced with random notes. Chaotic. Angry.

"It wasn't his mistake," Piper whispered softly to Aerrow, Junko waking up beside them being roused from Finn's playing. "We're not used to having to... conceal things."

"True enough," Aerrow conceded. "But we have to be careful."

Piper sighed and turned her attention back to Radarr, petting him softly. However, Aerrow continued to study Finn, deep in thought while the sharpshooter played.

* * *

><p>"Well... it's certainly <em>isolated<em>."

Stork spoke with a heavy dark sarcasm as the team exited the_ Condor_ to study Latebra. For the most part it was a very wild terra – heavily overgrown with a mixture of broad leafed plants and tall oppressing trees. It reminded Aerrow vaguely of Amazonia, though the terra had its share of wide open fields as well. It was one of these exposed areas where the _Condor_ had been placed.

"Isn't that kind of the point?" Finn remarked matter-of-factly, not being one to appreciate subtleties. Stork merely rolled his eyes as Aerrow walked up beside him with Radarr on his shoulder.

"It could be worse, Stork," the leader said, his companion starting to sniff the air excitedly. "We're lucky to even know about this place ...Radarr, don't go too far." For indeed, the small blue creature had jumped down from his perch and had started to wander off before being called back. Aerrow could see Radarr was eager for some stimulation and excitement, so he turned to Finn, a question on his face. "Up for some recon?"

"Uh, sure," Finn replied, surprised Aerrow would ask him.

"Piper," Aerrow said, now turning to his second in command. "Finn and I will take our skimmers. Mind setting up base here?"

"Alright," Piper agreed, though a little subdued. There really wasn't much to do.

"We'll be back soon enough," Aerrow reassured her. "Just a quick lap of the terra."

Piper watched as the three of them drove off, feeling a little left behind (though she knew not intentionally). She turned towards her remaining two teammates who were looking at her expectantly. Sometimes it was tiresome to be left in charge...

Piper sighed and gave the two of them a small smile. "We should go over the maps," she said, getting straight down to business. "Find out what terras are nearest to us. Junko, when was the last time you did an engines check?"

"After leaving Gale." the wallop replied. "I could do another no sweat."

"Good. Then I will – "

"Umm... does anyone hear that?"

Piper and Junko paused in small surprise at Stork's sudden interruption. They became quite, straining their ears to hear what Stork's heightened sense had already picked up on. For a moment... nothing. But then, a faint drumming seemed to come from no particular direction.

"That's... not the _Condor_?" Junko asked, not sure what he was hearing.

"Nu uh," Stork said, beginning to show his tell-tale signs of nervousness. "All the engines are shut down."

"Then what – " But Junko was cut off by the sudden look of mixed surprise and fear on Piper's face. Wordlessly, she pointed up to the sky. Both Stork and Junko followed her cue, looking up to where she indicated.

A group of skimmers were descending towards the terra.

"What?" Junko cried in confusion. "Who are they? It couldn't be the Ducks, could it? Maybe they forgot something..."

"No," Stork stated darkly, examining the rides with his binoculars, which he seemingly pulled out of nowhere. He gave a small squeak as he identified the riders, and lowered the peepers revealing doom written on his face as the last of the skimmers disappeared below the tree line.

"What is it, Stork?" Piper cried urgently.

"The Buff Buzzards." Stork spoke with a tone of defeat, and it didn't take Piper long to understand. The Storm Hawks were unfamiliar with that squadron, only encountering them a couple of times in the past. The squad would have no reason to speak with the Storm Hawks.

No friendly reason.

The sound of the rides' engines was now clear through the trees, and steadily growing closer. Piper glanced towards the _Condor_, evaluating the situation in a panicked second, when she realized their mistake in landing here. The Buzzards would know exactly where they were.

"Follow me!" Piper yelled to her friends, running into the forest. Stork and Junko knew not to hesitate, and stayed close on her heels. They had only run a few feet into the trees when they heard the skimmers halt in the very clearing they had only been standing in moments ago. The three teammates moved a greater distance into the woods then stopped quietly. Piper motioned to the other two to keep silent, as she ducked into the underbrush, Junko and Stork doing the same. They continued to make not a sound, hoping their position would not be found out. The noise from the clearing still carried to where Piper, Junko and Stork lay crouched. The Buzzards were talking amongst themselves, though no words could be clearly made out. Regardless, Piper made note of all sounds she could pick up on, and by the sound of it, three skimmers started up again and drove into the trees while the others stayed behind. Piper waited a moment to hear which direction the skimmers had driven off to, and once she was sure they weren't headed towards the team, she performed some quick thinking. If three Buzzards were searching for the Storm Hawks, how many did that leave guarding the Condor? How many were even in their squad? Was it five? No, four. Maybe just four. But... maybe they brought others... just in case.

It was too risky to make a move. Piper gave up on the _Condor_ and knew her real priority at hand now was to contact the rest of her team and warn them. Though it was three against three, Piper didn't like the idea of Aerrow, Finn and Radarr being taken by surprise. Especially not by the Buzzards – they were known for their strength.

Piper searched her pockets but to no avail. She wasn't carrying a radio. How was she going to warn the other Storm Hawks now? But suddenly, she was tapped on the shoulder by Stork, who held out the exact device she was looking for. Piper sighed in relief as she took the radio from Stork. She was never more grateful for his obsessive paranoia. Hurriedly, she punched in the proper transmission for Aerrow's skimmer.

"Aerrow?" Piper spoke over the speaker urgently yet softly, knowing there was still a chance they might be overheard. "Aerrow, pick up."

Static.

Frustrated, Piper tossed the radio to the ground, which was shortly after picked up by Junko with a look of worry on his face. Piper took a deep breath to calm her nerves, knowing this was not the time to let the situation get the best of her. "Come on," she whispered to her teammates. "We may be able to intercept Aerrow, Finn and Radarr on their route back... if the Buzzards haven't already found them."

Treading carefully and with ears alert for the sound of any approaching vehicle, Junko and Stork followed Piper's lead. The forest had suddenly gone quiet with the tension in the air, and it only added to the nervous atmosphere. After about a minute (though it seemed much longer) Stork heard a skimmer in bike mode making its way to their location. He dove into the underbrush with a squeal as Piper and Junko crouched nearby, anticipating an ambush if it happened to be a Buzzard. Piper had her staff at the ready and the high-pitched hum of the crystals in Junko's Knuckle Busters broke the still air.

The front tire of a skimmer appeared in Piper's line of sight, and without a moment's hesitation she jumped out of her hiding place, to be met with a very high-pitched scream.

It was Finn. He had been startled by Piper and was panting heavily in surprise as she retreated in her attack.

"Finn!" Piper cried in delight, too relieved to be annoyed at having been taken off-guard at his sudden appearance. As Stork and Junko emerged from the brush, Aerrow with Radarr in his sidecar pulled up close behind the sharpshooter.

"Piper!" Aerrow said, sounding relieved. "Thank goodness you're here! The Buzzards – "

"We know," Piper interrupted, saving him the time for explanations. "Why didn't you answer your radio?"

"We ran into one of them," Aerrow answered. "He took us by surprise and his hit took out my radio. We were just able to get away."

"Only one?" Piper clarified. "That's lucky – they must have spread out. I know that there are three of them in the woods right now."

"What about the _Condor_?" Aerrow asked.

"Besieged," Piper reported simply. "We couldn't retreat to it – not without you three. We'd be at a standstill."

"I understand," Aerrow agreed simply with a lop-sided smile, reassuring Piper that she had made the right decision. "It's alright."

"Alright?" Stork suddenly interjected with a note of disbelief in his tone. "Need I remind you all that we are now being pursued by one of the most powerful squads in Atmos without access to half our skimmers _and_ carrier?"

"Ya," Finn agreed, a sudden thought coming to him. "And how did they even find us anyways? I thought the other squads didn't know about this place."

"We'll worry about that later," Aerrow said, Finn's words bringing deep suspicions within the knight to the surface. "Right now our top priority is – "

"Wait," Piper said, holding up a hand to silence her team. From somewhere in the distance, but steadily drawing closer, came to sound of two, maybe three, skimmers. But then from the other direction came the sound of another. The first source branched out, confusing the noise and forming it into an omnipotent hum, like an angry nest of wasps.

"Oh no," Piper whispered under her breath. "I think... I think they're forming around us."

"There's no time to waste," Aerrow whispered quickly to the rest of his team. "We'll have to split up. Finn, Radarr and I will draw them away with our skimmers while you three make a break for the _Condor_."

"Aerrow, I'm not sure that's the best plan," Piper said. "What if you get caught? What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't," Aerrow said, though the words seemed to fall stale with no real meaning. "It's our only chance. Once you get away, find a place that you're sure is safe. We'll find you."

"Wait," Junko said, remembering a conversation that the team had held long ago if they were ever in a situation like this. "You mean we're not going to meet at the rendezvous?"

"It's too risky," Aerrow justified. "It may work for a meeting place, but now we're on the run. The Cyclonians know about Neverlandis as do some of the squadrons. They would expect us to use it as an HQ... it's too convenient. Truthfully I would expect an ambush."

"But..." Piper stuttered, realizing the recklessness of the things Aerrow was saying. "How are you supposed to find us?"

"We will," Aerrow stated again, this time with a fiery determination. "I promise. No matter how long it takes. Just find somewhere safe."

Piper hesitated and she looked like she may have argued again, but a particularly loud roar from one of the engines nearby alerted the team to the steadily approaching danger.

"Go," Aerrow said, revving his ride, Finn following suit. "Go!"

They took off, leaving Piper, Junko and Stork once again on their own. The sound of the two skimmers driven by the Storm Hawks drew the Buzzards away from the rest of the team, and with a pained look of disbelief on her face, Piper knew there was no going back. "Come on," she whispered to her teammates, once again forced back into leadership.

The three made it back to the _Condor_ without any obstacles, and they all breathed a sigh of relief as they saw that the Buff Buzzards were nowhere to be seen. Aerrow, Radarr and Finn must be leading them on quite a chase... Though glad at their luck, Piper couldn't help but shiver a bit at the thought. "Let's go," she motioned to the other two as they dashed across the clearing, boarding their ship. Before Stork fired up the engines, Piper dialled in the frequency for Finn's radio, hoping to receive confirmation if they were in the clear. However, no response came through. Piper knew that wasn't necessarily a bad sign, yet she was hoping for better. Knowing they had no other choice but to take a chance, Piper signalled Stork to take off.

They pulled away from Latebra quickly, and within a matter of seconds it vanished into the clouds. Junko had been monitoring the radar to make sure no Buzzards had realized their escape, and no vehicles were seen in pursuit.

They were in the clear.

It was in this quiet decline of adrenaline that Piper once again tried Finn's radio. "Finn? Finn?" No answer. Either his com gear had also been taken out (likely, since his ride was always being smashed) or they had retreated out of radio contact. Either way, there was no chance of contacting the other half of the team now. Stork fidgeted nervously at the helm while Junko looked back and forth between his remaining teammates. Piper merely sighed sadly and looked out the window to where Latebra had vanished. She would have to trust Aerrow now.

If no one else.

* * *

><p><strong>Minn: For the record, yes, I know that only two Buzzards are ever shown, but I think it's a safe assumption that there could be other members to their team. Anywho, remember to review!<strong>


	4. From the Frying Pan into the Fire

**Minn: Blame Jeremy Brett. This massive delay is all his fault for being such an amazing actor. As some of you may know, I am an avid Sherlock Holmes fan and it was only recently I discovered all 41 episodes of Brett's fantastic talent on youtube. So... yes. Essentially, I have been watching Sherlock all month. lol! And drawing. Memes are fun... :) Also, blame VideoPad as well. I've been in the video making mood lately... But Wolf is back now from her trip so you peeps can rely on her for getting my butt in gear. XP**

Chapter 3: From the Frying Pan into the Fire

"That could have gone a lot better."

Finn didn't sound pleased. And Aerrow couldn't blame him. Granted, the three of them were able to give the Buzzards the slip, but not before Finn lost his skimmer. He now rode with Aerrow, forced to share the pilot's seat since Radarr already occupied the sidecar.

"We're safe, aren't we?" Aerrow replied with a lop-sided smile, to which Finn rolled his eyes. Always the optimist.

"But now both are radios are gone," Finn said, for once having a proper grasp on the situation. "How're we supposed to find the others if we can't contact them?"

At this Aerrow's smile fell as Radarr gave a sad small groan. "I can't say, Finn," the Sky Knight admitted. "But we will... somehow." His words weren't very reassuring, and Finn looked sideways at Radarr, sharing with the small critter a look of uncertainty.

"So what now?" asked Finn.

Aerrow sighed in regret, knowing that what he would say next wasn't going to be received with the best response.

"Our only choice..." Aerrow drew out, "...is to go to Wayside."

"What?" Finn protested, not able to believe that Aerrow would actually suggest such a thing. "But... Wayside is probably swarmed with people who would turn us in!"

"I know, Finn!" Aerrow said, perhaps a bit testily due to nerves. "But all of our supplies had been stashed on the _Condor._ We don't have any leads on where to find the others and we're back to square one. We don't know what's happening with the other squads... we don't even know what Cyclonis' movements are, or what the council is doing in the meantime! We need supplies but above all we need information."

"Dude, you seriously know that this is still a bad idea," Finn stated simply.

"We need resources, Finn," Aerrow reasoned, a bit more calmly now. This was not the time to let stress get the better of him. "And we especially need new com gear. It shouldn't be too hard to find what we need to repair mine."

"But why Wayside?" Finn asked, calm as well but still not at all fond at the idea. "Can't we just go back to Gale? It's not _too_ far."

At this Aerrow hesitated. If he was going to be honest with himself, he did not want to go back to Gale. The Buzzards had found them immediately after they had left... found them on a terra that was supposedly unknown to other squadrons. Except... Finn let it slip to Dove...

But was Aerrow really willing to accuse anyone just yet? It seemed too hard to believe. Yet... the Sky Knight recalled the uneasy feeling he had while on Gale. The absence of the other Ducks... the motive for them to turn... it was just too convenient to ignore. However, suspicions were not evidence. The sense of justice inside Aerrow felt that he shouldn't say anything until he was sure.

"We... might not have enough reserve fuel to get us there," Aerrow used as an excuse. "Not with all this weight. Besides, we've shaken off the Buzzards for now, but there's no guarantee they couldn't track us back there. I... don't want to lead turned squads to our friends."

"Oh..." Finn said, having not thought about those seemingly valid points. "I guess you're right."

Radarr chirruped forcefully, showing that he agreed that Aerrow's idea was the best solution.

"Alright," Finn decided. "I guess we're going to Wayside."

* * *

><p>It was absolute luck that the team used Aerrow's skimmer for the storage of many of their disguises. After rooting around in the storage areas of both the skimmer and the side-car, Aerrow, Finn and Radarr were able to dig out a pair of the musty brown cloaks the Storm Hawks had used in the past, along with a large fake moustache and a dark pair of shades. It wasn't a lot... but it would be enough. Aerrow had parked his skimmer behind some shrubs in the corner of the terra, though it was by no means an ideal hiding spot – Wayside offered very little in the way of concealment.<p>

"Radarr, you'll have to stay behind as a lookout," Aerrow said as he positioned the moustache on his face, while Finn tried to keep his balance in the process of pulling one of the cloaks over his head. "Make sure no one comes around here. If they do, find another place to hide. Finn and I will find you – the terra isn't that big."

Radarr squawked obediently, while Aerrow turned to Finn, who had just placed the shades over his eyes. "You ready?" Aerrow asked.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," Finn replied, still openly doubtful about the plan.

It didn't take long to find the parts for the com gear. Leaving some money behind, Aerrow tucked the items away in a pocket behind his cloak, while Finn looked around in apprehension. However, their mission wasn't over yet. The duo was headed towards the diner next, in hopes of finding a lead about the treaty. Finn knew by this time it was pointless to raise any more protests, so it was to a quiet pair of strangers that the door of the restaurant opened.

The situation wasn't ideal. There were at least ten patrons sitting at the tables, quietly chatting amongst themselves. None had looked up as Aerrow and Finn entered, yet there was a tension which hung heavily in the air that filled the restaurant with a heavy, quiet feeling, like the calm before the storm. At least, that's how the pair of Storm Hawks felt. It was a familiar feeling... just like the one from before.

Following Aerrow's lead, Finn shadowed him around the counter to where the bulletin board hung. The Sky Knight glanced around, wondering if any familiar faces would appear in the handful of diners that surrounded them.

"Aerrow," Finn whispered, nearly inaudible over the sound of sizzling meat on the large grill. "I really don't like the feeling of this."

The pair had arrived at the board, and Aerrow knew what his wingman meant as he scanned the papers for any important looking news. Any minute he feared he would see the wanted poster. Just like before... only this time they were guilty.

No. He couldn't think like that. It was ridiculous to do so.

"In and out, Finn," Aerrow whispered back, as he examined a flyer that caught his interest, only to find out it contained no useful information.

Finn looked around while the redhead was busy. A couple of curious customers had turned their gaze towards the odd duo, making Finn flinch.

"Anything?" the sharpshooter finally asked, his patience quickly waning.

"Just hang on, Finn," Aerrow said, turning away from the board in a moment of frustration. He didn't like being rushed under circumstances like this. But just as he was turning back, something caught the Sky Knight's eye, making him pause in a brief second of panic.

"Get down!" Aerrow muttered urgently, forcing Finn below the counter with his hand as he dove underneath it himself.

"What—?" Finn was about to ask, but was quickly shushed by Aerrow. The Sky Knight pointed around the corner of the counter to the end stool, just visible from around the turn. Someone had just sat down who would definitely not be fooled by their meagre disguises.

It was Carver.

Finn's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the ex-Sky Knight. "What is _he_ doing here?" he whispered in the minutest voice possible.

"Cyclonis let her political prisoners go prematurely," Aerrow murmured back. "I guess Atmosia did the same." For indeed, Carver also wore a hooded cloak not unlike Aerrow's and Finn's, but he didn't seem to be in any particular fear of being recognized. More like he was just trying to not be noticed in general.

"I thought Harrier said the Red Eagles have a new Sky Knight now," Finn questioned.

"They must not have wanted him back..." Aerrow speculated. "Can you blame them? He may be free, but there's no way I'd trust him."

Their conversation was quickly hushed, for Carver had called over the cook tending the grill, and seemed to be asking some questions.

"What's the fastest way to Saharr from here?"

"Saharr?" asked the cook, seeming surprised at the question. "Well, it's a few fair ticks south of here to be sure."

Carver didn't seem to be pleased with this answer. "Point it out." Aerrow guessed that Carver must have produced a small traveller's map for the cook, but seconds later his guess was confirmed when Carver had dropped it, and the paper fluttered to the ground, not three feet from where Aerrow and Finn lay crouched.

The Storm Hawks tensed. Any second Carver was going to bend over to grab the paper and see them. It was sitting _right there. _If Aerrow wanted to, _he_ could reach out and take it. The duo was already against the wall, and Carver sat right in between them and the door. They were trapped.

Carver's arms appeared from below the line of the countertop, followed by his shoulder. Aerrow grimaced. There was no way out. The tip of Carver's nose ducked into the line of sight when—

"HEY! No fightin' in here!"

The cook had yelled over to a couple of burly carrier pilots, who had gotten into a bad scuffle over something or another. As Carver's face lowered just beside Aerrow's, he turned away, distracted like the rest of the diner by the sudden commotion.

Knowing this was their only chance; Aerrow grabbed Finn by the collar and unceremoniously dragged him over the counter. The two stumbled as they fell in front of the grill and made a dash for the exit. They flew through the door just as the two fighting men were launched after them, thrown out by the cook.

But Aerrow and Finn didn't stop running. They sprinted to where they knew Radarr was waiting and dove into the bushes.

"That..." Finn wheezed while trying to catch his breath from their getaway and his own nerves, "... was way too close. No one saw us, did they?"

Aerrow peered through a gap in the brush but fell back in some crazed relieved laughter. "Nah," he half breathed, also catching his breath. "No, not at all."

Radarr hopped down to Aerrow, confused and a little alarmed at not knowing what had happened.

"What do you think he was doing there?" Finn asked, while Aerrow petted Radarr, reassuring him everything was okay. "Why's he going to Saharr?"

"That's what I'd like to find out," Aerrow replied, growing serious. "Carver may by a free agent, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were up to something. Why be so intent on travelling to Saharr if he obviously doesn't know how to get there? It shows he's never had business there before..."

"You want to follow him?" Finn asked, sensing Aerrow's train of thought.

"Yeah," Aerrow agreed. "It could be nothing, but it also could be the lead we've been looking for."

"I don't know..." Finn said. "We barely made it out of this mess, and now we're supposed to go charging into another one? Wouldn't it be better to just fix the radio and call the rest of the team?"

"There's no guarantee we'll have a signal," Aerrow countered. "Besides, Carver hasn't left yet. We'll work on the radio for now, and if we can't get in contact with Piper by the time Carver heads out for Saharr, we'll follow him. Sound fair?"

Finn gave it some thought but finally agreed. This was an opportunity...

As it turned out, the three Storm Hawks had nearly finished with the radio just as Radarr spotted Carver coming out of the diner. He had obviously stayed later in order to grab something to eat. But now, Aerrow kept a careful eye on him as he flew away to the south.

"Want to test the com gear?" Aerrow asked Finn, keeping in mind the sharpshooter's earlier wishes. Finn nodded and tried punching in to the _Condor_'s frequency, though it was just as Aerrow had predicted – no signal.

"Alright," Finn agreed, as Aerrow seated himself on his skimmer. They couldn't say they hadn't tried...

It wasn't as long a flight to Saharr as the cook made it out to be. Then again, Carver flew very fast, shortening the travel time drastically. Throughout the trip Aerrow was careful to stay as far away from Carver as possible to avoid being sighted, but this turned out to be a huge error. As they came in for a landing, Aerrow realized that they had to pull back even more to make sure they were not discovered by others on Saharr, resulting in loosing track of exactly where Carver was.

Hiding the skimmer behind some crates at the edge of Tent City, Aerrow and Finn once again donned their disguises.

"Well, this is just great," Finn said sarcastically, coming up to Aerrow as the duo prepared to head into the mass of canvases and sand. "Not only am I sweating like a pig under this cloak, but now we've lost Carver. Maybe we should just forget about him. After all, it's not like we know for sure if he really is up to anything."

Aerrow cast a sideways looks at Finn, turning his gaze away from the main route through the tents. Aerrow had noticed that Finn's mood seemed to be steadily growing worse, and the Sky Knight could guess at the reason. Their circumstance was less than desirable – hungry, tired, hunted, and separated from their team. Aerrow decided not to say anything (when Finn got like this he was prone to arguments) but felt that the sharpshooter was being at least slightly unreasonable.

"Come on, Finn," Aerrow said, trying to persuade his friend to go with his plan. "It won't be too hard to track him down. What's the worst that can happen?"

Famous last words.

"Radarr," Aerrow said, turning to his co-pilot. "Sorry to keep doing this to you, bud, but we need you to stay behind and look after the skimmer again. We won't be too long."

Radarr saluted and planted himself in his sidecar, faithful to Aerrow until the end. Finn merely sighed and resigned himself to their seemingly pointless mission, knowing that anything he said would be disregarded.

Navigating Tent City was easier than moving through Wayside. It was more crowded and lots of other civilians wore similar cloaks to that of Aerrow and Finn, aiding the Storm Hawks in their camouflage. However, this convenience was both a blessing and a curse. With so many people, it was hard to keep track of who was coming and going among the streets and doubly hard to track down Carver. The duo stumbled amidst the sandy roads for minutes that seemed more like hours in the heat.

"We're never going to find him in this mess," Finn noted pessimistically.

"Look, Finn," Aerrow said, patience finally coming to a near end. "I'm starting to get annoyed with your—"

But Aerrow was cut off rather suddenly, as he walked straight into someone, though it felt more like walking into a wall. The redhead hadn't been watching where he was going when he had turned around to talk to Finn, so it was only when he looked up after falling backwards from the impact that he saw the face of the rather muscular man before him.  
>It was Burner. Looking past him, Aerrow's heart skipped a beat as he saw the rest of the Third Degree Burners behind him.<p>

Eyes wide in surprise and a bit of fear, Aerrow quickly scurried back onto his feet and turned completely around, pulling Finn along with him and praying Burner hadn't seen his face.

"Sorry," Aerrow muttered in a low voice, not making eye contact and making to walk away. However, Burner had gripped him by the shoulder and stood behind the Sky Knight. Aerrow was sure (or maybe he half hoped) that it was for an innocent triviality that he was held back, but Burner's presence was more overwhelming than the heat as Aerrow felt the sheer girth and strength of the squad member looming over him.

"Hold on a minute," Burner said, forebodingly still and solid... or maybe nothing was simply able to move him. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

This was it. Burner was going to turn him around and see his face...

"Ex_cuse_ us," Finn said, careful not to show his face either behind his hood, and speaking in what could only be described as a desperate, yet ridiculously fake and arrogant accent. "We're in a rush, so if you don't mind, we'll just be on our way and..." Finn placed a hand on top of Burner's own, which still retained its grip on Aerrow's shoulder, but soon found himself in the same position, as Blister joined the group by walking up behind the wingman.

"Actually," Burner said seriously. "I'd be willing to _bet_ that you ain't goin' anywhere."

Finn froze and shared a meaningful glance with Aerrow.

Bet?

Crap. They knew.

Fortunately, Aerrow had retained his cool throughout this run-in, and in a flash of blue he had drawn his blades and shot a couple of energy blasts at the Third Degree Burners, creating a vital couple of seconds in which he and Finn could make their getaway.

"After them!" Aerrow heard one of them yell. By the surprising high pitch of the shout, he guessed it to be Blister. Aerrow knew he and Finn didn't stand a chance if they remained on the terra. Hand to hand was impossible with the strength of their pursuers, and they would be overtaken in seconds if the Burners chased them with their skyrides, which were specifically modified with speed in mind. It was the air... agility in flight was the one advantage Aerrow had. If they could just reach the skimmer in time...

Aerrow and Finn sprinted through Tent City, pushing people aside as they fought the crowd to be met with complaints and shouts of protest. But none of that mattered at the moment. Aerrow looked behind him as Finn panted heavily in fear beside him. Fortunately, the Burners were not on their rides, as the crowd was too thick to permit that. However, as Aerrow caught a glimpse of Burner fighting through the people behind them, a cold chill ran down his spine despite the heat.

Burner bore a striking resemblance to Snipe.

"Keep going!" Aerrow urged Finn, knowing there would be no reasoning with this squadron. "Just keep moving!"

Finn didn't have to be told twice. He reached the skimmer before Aerrow did, though the Sky Knight was only seconds behind. Starting up the ride without a second glance, he took to the sky.

All of Aerrow's tension blew away as the wind met his face. This was his element. They were safe now. Finn seemed to have shouted something, but it was drowned out of notice when Aerrow turned back, and saw that the Burners were now pursuing on their own rides.

Aerrow smirked. Not to worry. This would be over soon enough.

The knight swirled the skimmer around in the air and charged straight for the Burners. There were three headed their way, but Aerrow was sure he could take them. Finn had pulled out his crossbow and fired a pair of shots, only to be met with counteractive blasts. However, Aerrow's piloting skills were too fast for them. He pulled up vertically as Finn swivelled in his seat behind Aerrow, facing backwards to get a better view. He shot two more bolts from his crossbow and was able to take down one of the pursuing rides.

One down, two to go.

The pair of skimmers broke apart and manoeuvred around Aerrow, making to cut him off in his vertical ascension. However, once again Aerrow proved to be too much for them and pulled all the way back in a half loop, corkscrewing to an upward position. He quickly moved to the offensive by pulling a vertical loop, and positioning himself behind the Burners. He shot a pair of blasts from his own ride, and took out one more of their opposition.

Two down, one left.

It was Burner who remained. Stubborn and prone to his extreme temper, he yelled in frustration as he turned around and charged full force towards the Storm Hawk skimmer. Aerrow smirked, knowing that the fight was as good as won with his opponent subject to his emotions. Aerrow pulled out his swords again and corkscrewed around Burner as they met head on, slicing through his ride and sending him parachuting back down to Saharr to join the rest of his team. However, the thrill of victory that normally came to Aerrow at this time was lost, and instead the Sky Knight's face fell as he saw the symbol of the Third Degree Burners on the chute. Though not exactly thought of as friends, he used to think well of these people. They were a squadron... fighters in the same battle. Now... now what?

Aerrow's sudden decrease in spirits was only dramatically worsened as Finn too came out of the adrenaline of battle to realize that the pair of them had made one fatal flaw.  
>"Umm... Aerrow? Where's Radarr?"<p>

Aerrow froze for a second then gasped harshly. He spun his head towards the sidecar so fast that he felt his neck crick, but sure enough, his worst fears were recognized. He had assumed that Radarr was in the sidecar. Radarr was _always_ at his side. It never occurred to him that he wouldn't be there...

...but they had left Radarr behind.

Without a word, Aerrow had turned the skimmer back towards Saharr.

"Wait!" Finn protested, turning back around and trying to grab the controls from Aerrow. "Aerrow! It's too late! We don't know where he might be!"

"It doesn't matter!" Aerrow yelled back over the wind as they continued to descend. "We have to go back for Radarr!"

"Think about it!" Finn continued, still struggling with Aerrow. "They'll be waiting for us down there! We can't go back!"

"Yes we can!"

"What about the others? Aerrow, we don't have a chance!"

Aerrow's face was almost as red as his hair with rage. He snatched the controls away from Finn. "I'm _not_ leaving Radarr!" he shouted.

"And if we get caught?" Finn reminded him, looking just as angry. "Then what? We won't be any good to him that way!"

A glimmer of reason came back to the Sky Knight at these words. What Finn said was true. They couldn't possibly save Radarr if they got caught themselves. If they returned now, they wouldn't stand a chance. The Burners would be waiting.

Could they really leave Radarr behind?

Aerrow could see the Burners landing on Saharr. They looked back up at him, no doubt wondering why he lingered over their terra. If he landed, it would be an open invitation.

Every part of Aerrow yearned to pull the skimmer around and head back. But he couldn't. Not now.

"We'll be back," Aerrow said, not quite sure who he was talking to.

And without another word, he flew away from Saharr with Finn at his back.


	5. I Had No Choice

_Minn:_** I'd just like to take this time to thank those who HAVE reviewed (*nudgenudge* to those who haven't). Just it really helps getting feedback. I like to know what I am doing wrong. What do you want to see? What do you think will happen? I'm very sociable with my readers so if you drop me a few lines, chances are I'll write back! (And who knows... I may even drop a hint or two... *wink wink*) I really like to know where you guys think this fic is headed... Hearing theories from others helps me know if I'm doing my job right in including enough foreshadowing and detail... yet not so much as to give away the plot twists. Anywho, I hope you enjoy. This time it's Piper's, Junko's and Stork's turn.**

**As an afterthought... I should point out that this chapter and (in all likelihood) the one after it will be very very short. Also, POVs between chapters will be changing around a lot, so (of course) the timelines between characters overlap, so it might seem that there are inconsistencies at times, but trust me... it's nowhere close to the fiasco that EFTFS was. I planned this out... like **_**on paper. **_**I drew a timeline and everything... so just trust me when I say that the character interactions **_**are**_** within the realm of the possible with relation to time. lol!**

_WhispertheWolf:_** Yes, I'm here! Mostly to remind everyone I'm watching for your reviews, too. And this time, I can even take partial credit on the writing! Yeah, I actually **_**wrote**_** part of this one, rather than just helping out with plotlines and editing. So yea me! (But it's still not much; most of the writing is still Minn's.)**

Chapter 4: "I Had No Choice"

It was hard knowing that they just _left_. Not having the rest of the team with them... it didn't feel right. However, Piper knew that she couldn't dwell on it. This was her time to lead. Her other two teammates were counting on her.

It took some time to decide on where they would go. (For, indeed, where _could_ they go?) Stork had suggested Vapos, but that was too risky. If any turned squad followed them there... it would open up a whole new problem with the location of Vapos known. Also, without Finn, there was no guarantee that King Agar would be willing to give his full aid. If a new war broke out... no... It was best to leave Vapos alone.

"What if there's someone who'd want to help us?" Junko suggested. "We should go to our friends."

Piper shook her head. "I'm not willing to take that chance. Who knows what squadron we can trust? After what happened before... the last thing we need is another threatening encounter."

No. What they needed was someplace remote. Someone who was separate from all of this. An independent agent who they could trust... of course. "Starling!" Piper said at once. If no one else would help the Storm Hawks, she would. Piper was thrilled at the thought of it.

"But how do we find her?" Stork asked.

Piper's spirits quickly faded away as she realized that there was no way to track down the lone Sky Knight. As far as Piper was aware, Starling had no set HQ for herself. The only way the Storm Hawks had ever made contact with her was through her skimmer's radio.

"We can call her radio . . ." Piper said hesitantly. She tried emitting a call to the Sky Knight's frequency... but no luck. Starling's radio appeared to be completely off-air.

So that was their last option gone.

For a while it looked like they had no other choice but to merely hide out on some uninhabited terra such as Amazonia or Terra Fauna. However, doing so was extremely undesirable. How were Aerrow, Finn and Radarr ever supposed to find their other teammates among hundreds of obscure, lonely terras? It would be nearly impossible. However, it looked like their only choice.

But Stork had one last idea.

"There is one other person," he said, "someone who lives apart from everyone else. And he's not likely to forget what we've done for him."

"Who?" Piper asked.

"Rinjiin."

Of course. Looking back, Piper was amazed that they hadn't thought of it earlier. Sky's End was located far away from all other terras, creating the ideal hiding place. Granted, though other Sky Knights had frequented Rinjiin in the past to help protect the dragons, such visits had dramatically decreased since the Dragon Knight's ship had undergone complete repairs and the Murk Raiders (as well as anyone else who might try to make a claim to the hatchlings) gave it up as a lost cause. Piper felt confident this was the right choice. Rinjiin wasn't about to forget the help they had given him with repelling the initial attack. However, there was one small thing holding the team back. Being so distant from all other terras, it was unlikely that they would be able to establish a strong radio signal. However, Piper felt that this wasn't something to fret over too much. She was confident that Aerrow would figure out where they were if he noticed the pattern in the absence of a strong radio wave. He was smart. He was determined.

"What do you think, Junko?" Piper asked.

Junko smiled. "I'd like to see the dragons!"

Piper turned to Stork, who was awaiting her order. "Stork," she said, "set course for Sky's End."

A long-absent sense of optimism filled the three Storm Hawks. Here was a small ray of hope.

* * *

><p>Rinjiin was waiting for them as the <em>Condor<em> landed on the small red terra. Piper had hailed him once they were within radio range, and he clearly anticipated their arrival anxiously. As the squad left their ship, Piper shook hands warmly with Rinjiin, but the Dragon Knight was confused at the lack of Storm Hawks before him.

"Where is the rest of your team?" Rinjiin asked, his greeting smile fading as he realized the other members were absent.

Piper's smile also faltered slightly as Stork and Junko fidgeted behind her.

"We... had to split up," Piper remarked simply. In a clear display of sympathy (yet... more like disappointment) Rinjiin sighed sadly yet decided not to dwell on this unfortunate bit of news.

"Well, at least you're here now." Rinjiin spoke with a tone of optimism which gave Piper hope. She smiled back at him while the team behind her followed suit.

"So," Piper opened as the Storm Hawks followed Rinjiin to his ship, which rested silently on the rocks. "I'm guessing you know the details of what has been going on."

"True..." Rinjiin answered slowly. "Though I live apart from most of the main channels, I do hear tales of what has been happening within the Atmos. It saddened me greatly when I received news of recent developments."

The conversation came to a break while everyone entered the ship single-file through the porthole, but it quickly picked up again when all had entered. "Regardless," Rinjiin continued. "I'm glad you decided to come here."

Piper and Stork were focused on Rinjiin while they made their way to the bridge, but Junko had been glancing around the corridors, naturally taking an interest since he had been the one to perform most of the repairs last time they had been here. However, as he observed some of the mechanical work they passed, his attention was called to a key point of interest.

"Hey, uhh... Rinjiin," Junko stuttered a bit, knowing he was cutting off the conversation he had lost track of. His three companions turned to him as he spoke up. "Uhh..." Junko paused again, not exactly sure how to phrase his question delicately. "I couldn't help but notice... but the hydraulic pipes connected to the wing structure look like they're damaged."

Piper and Stork turned to the Dragon Knight, curious why he wouldn't mention such a thing. "The ship can't fly?" Piper clarified, questioning Rinjiin.

"It is some minor damage," he replied, though he looked slightly unnerved. "Nothing to worry about... easily repaired. It was a clumsy accident on my part while training with the little ones. Grazed a cliff with the wings... Now, if we could move on to the bridge..." Rinjiin seemed to end the conversation there, and for the most part Piper and Stork let it drop, but Junko eyed the damage curiously one last time before jogging slightly to catch up with the others. That damage looked internal...

As the team followed Rinjiin onto the bridge, a sudden thought occurred to Piper. "If you're open to attack..." the navigator asked, trying to make her question sound more innocent than it was, "...have you contacted anyone to give you some help?"

Rinjiin eyed Piper curiously, yet she seemed sincere in her trust. "No," he answered simply. "Knowing what the circumstances are, I would rather not associate with other squadrons just now. Besides, as I said, it's nothing to be concerned over." Rinjiin finished his answer testily, and Piper felt ashamed as if she had unfairly cross-examined her friend.

"Um... one question, though," Stork added hesitantly, seeing that Rinjiin had been put in a bad mood. "Where _are_ the dragons anyways?" Piper paused in thought as she reflected on Stork's words. That was right. When she thought about it, they hadn't seen a single hatchling. That was odd, considering how sociable they were...

"We have been training hard," Rinjiin stated, trying to be more friendly yet clearly put on edge at being questioned so much. "It isn't easy raising dragons and they need their rest. Now, is there anything I can offer you? I'm afraid my stores are a little low at present but I can find a few things..." Rinjiin trailed off and tried to tidy up the bridge a little, distracted by the mess. For indeed, the room didn't look much better than the last time the Storm Hawks had been here. There was a couch near the corner which Piper and Junko seated themselves on quietly, while Stork remained standing. They were positioned immediately in front of the right eye of the dragon ship, and Piper looked out onto the cliffs surrounding the terra contemplatively. It was only after a couple of minutes passed that she realized that Rinjiin had joined her in gazing out at the sky.

"Ummm... Rinjiin?" Piper asked tentatively. He seemed to have been lost in thought.

"Oh," Rinjiin said, looking a little taken aback. "My apologies. Do you... mind if I take my leave for a moment? I will return briefly." Without any explanation, Rinjiin had left the bridge, leaving the Storm Hawks behind. Piper narrowed her eyes after him as he left. Something was off. Rinjiin was acting very absent minded – almost nervous. Stork and Junko exchanged a confused look, but Piper turned back to the window, deciding that it was probably their presence which had placed such a strain on their friend. She sighed sadly as she turned her attention towards the opening of a large cave opposite the ship. Could nothing go right for them?

However, Piper was pulled out of her thoughts when she spotted something coming out of the cave she had been staring at. It was one of the dragons. But... it looked like it was limping. Piper rose from her seat and Junko and Stork followed after her, wondering what had caught her attention. Piper pressed one hand against the glass as she watched the small creature turn its face toward the sunlight, an indication it had been cooped up inside for too long. Yes... it was definitely hurt. There was a white bandage wrapped around its leg, and a patch pressed over one section of its wing. Piper's face fell at the discovery, and the dragon made a discovery of its own as it turned away from the light and realized the _Condor_ was parked on its home. It looked distressed at the realization for some reason and turned to the dragon ship with an awful expression. It was that reaction which alerted Piper that something was very, very wrong. It wasn't a look of confusion, worry, or anxiousness, though all of those were included as secondary emotions on the dragon's face.

It was a look of fear.

Why would the dragon be afraid? What could it possibly have to be afraid of? The dragon gazed with wide eyes straight at the ship, almost as if he were staring directly at Piper. Warning her...

"Junko... Stork..." Piper addressed her teammates quietly, though they had seen it as well. Something had happened here.

It was at the peak of this realization that Rinjiin had re-entered the bridge. Piper turned to face him, concerned and confused while her teammates stood beside her.

"Rinjiin," Piper addressed him seriously. "What happened to the dragons?"

Rinjiin looked surprise, but the expression lacked any trace of sincerity. "What... do you mean?"

"They're injured!" Piper cried out, annoyed at the act of ignorance. She gestured with a wave of her arm in exasperation towards the window, where other hatchlings could be seen gathering outside.

"It was..." Rinjiin hesitated, in an obvious attempt to find an excuse "...a training incident..."

"The same one that crippled your ship?" Piper asked skeptically and with deep sarcasm. "Rinjiin, what happened here? Why are the dragons afraid? What are _you_ afraid of?"

But suddenly, the same thought seemed to have hit all three Storm Hawks at once, and Piper's eyes widened at the sudden thought. "What were you doing just now?" Piper asked Rinjiin carefully, as Stork and Junko tensed beside her. Rinjiin was silent, but his face was firm. "Rinjiin," Piper repeated, a bit more forcefully this time. "Who were you contacting?"

Rinjiin remained silent, but the shame in his expression was response enough.

"Let's go, guys," Piper muttered quietly to her team in deep disappointment, but just as they moved for the door, Rinjiin intercepted them.

"No!" he shouted, blocking the way, and holding a staff that none of the team had noticed until now. "No!" Rinjiin repeated, though it was less in a menacing tone and more in one of pure desperation. "I can't let you leave."

Piper moved to grab her crystal staff, but cursed herself when she realized it was left aboard the _Condor_. Sure, Junko had his Knuckle Busters... but were they even really willing to fight their friend?

"Why?" Junko asked, speaking up in disbelief yet also with strong resolve. "Why are you doing this?"

"You don't understand!" Rinjiin pleaded. "They _threatened_ the dragons! My little ones! I was helpless to protect them!" None of the Storm Hawks were prepared for the passion with which Rinjiin spoke. "They wanted me to help them," he explained, yet remaining strong in his position. "I did not want to, truthfully! But then... they realized how to make me more compliant..." Rinjiin's face darkened and the Storm Hawks got chills at his words. Did another squad really do this? Did they really go that far? It didn't matter which team it was – the fact that one squad was willing to act this far meant that many others would act without reservations either. "They destroyed the ship! They suspected you might come here," Rinjiin continued. "I had no other choice."

"You always have a choice!" Piper protested. "So it was either us or the dragons? Rinjiin, didn't it ever occur to you that we could help?"

"No!" Rinjiin denied vehemently. "They're too strong for that! It's quite clear how far they're willing to go. I'm afraid it is a losing battle that you are fighting. If they ever found out that I tried to act against the treaty, I – " But Rinjiin was suddenly distracted by something that caught his attention though the window. The Storm Hawks turned around in curiosity and gasped as they saw a handful of skimmers descending towards the terra. But that wasn't all. The dragons had grown agitated and fearful, flocking towards the windows of the ship, trying to flee inside, but also facing the Storm Hawks through the glass, warning them of what was coming.

"It is too late, now," Rinjiin said, defeated.

"No it's not!" Piper denied, turning back to face the Dragon Knight. "Rinjiin, let us pass!"

"No!" he still resisted. "I have to protect my dragons!"

The skimmers had landed.

"Rinjiin, we don't want to hurt you!"

"No! I must!"

The hatchlings were banging on the glass.

"Rinjiin!"

With a thundering smash, the dragons had shattered the window of the right eye, causing shards to fly everywhere as chaos ensued. The Storm Hawks fell to the ground as the dragons swarmed inside the bridge. Some covered Rinjiin while others grabbed the Storm Hawks with their claws and flew them out of the devastated room. However, they couldn't get far. Weakened by what had happened to them, they merely glided the Storm Hawks down to the ground and then collapsed, exhausted. Piper looked down at them with pity, but Junko and Stork were already on the move. The unidentified skimmers were stationed nearby, and the Storm Hawks would have to make a sprint for it if they hoped to reach the _Condor_. Piper followed her teammates closely, dazed and moving fast with the adrenaline coursing through her. However, she couldn't help but look back as she realized who it was pursuing them.

It was the Rebel Ducks.

They had betrayed them.

Piper dashed into the _Condor_ just as Stork fired up the engines. They were safe. They made it. However, the Rebel Ducks were not giving up without a fight. As the _Condor_ lifted into the air, so did the skimmers of the Ducks. Junko mounted his blaster as Stork prepared the pilot controls. Piper dashed to the radio, hoping that if they could send any signal, now would be the time.

"Aerrow," Piper called in quickly. "Aerrow, please respond! The Rebel Ducks have turned—" Piper was cut off for a moment as the ship was blasted from the side, the multiple skimmers too numerous for Junko to fend off completely. "Repeat!" Piper almost yelled into the radio. "The Rebel Ducks of Gale have turned on us!" The _Condor_ was blasted again, and Piper fell to the side as the floor sloped away from underneath her feet. Knowing that she had to help, she ran to the other blaster that was normally manned by Finn. Together with Junko's help and Stork's piloting skills, they were able to turn the fight in their favour, and after being forced to dodge numerous bolts, the Ducks gave it up as a lost cause, and retreated back to Sky's End.

Piper sighed in relief as the last of the skimmers vanished into the clouds, and turned to her teammates with a sad half-smile. "Good job, you two."

But no one felt like it was a victory.

"I hope," Junko said, hesitating a bit. "That Rinjiin will be okay..."

"Umm..." Stork countered seeming a bit sarcastic. "Considering he was more than willing to turn us in, I'm not too concerned about him."

"True, Stork," Piper said sadly, dismounting the blaster and gathering around the center of the bridge with her companions. "But I can understand why he did it. He wanted to protect what was closest to him."

Stork huffed dismissively, as if that was no excuse, though the understanding in his eyes conveyed the truth that he knew that the Dragon Knight couldn't be blamed.

"I hope the dragons will be okay..." Junko spoke up again.

"Don't worry, Junko," Piper reassured him. "As far as the Ducks could see, Rinjiin had done what they wanted him to. They'll have no reason to..." But taking herself by surprise, Piper realized she couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat seemed to close up on her, and she paused as the full comprehension of how messed up things had gotten fell on her.

"Piper?" Junko asked gently, but the navigator simply shook her head, ashamed.

"Let's just fly away from here," she replied emptily.

Stork had been fidgeting the entire time, but turned to the controls, setting a route back towards central Atmos.

Piper turned away from her team, meaning to head to her room, but Junko stopped her near the door, sensing his friend could use some comfort. He placed a large hand on her shoulder, looking at her in a thoughtful gaze that didn't often show itself on the Wallop's face.

"It'll be okay, Piper," he assured her. "We'll get through this."

But Piper sighed, and looked down at the floor. "I wish I could believe that."

And she exited the bridge.


	6. Divided

_**Minn**__:__ Oooohhhh... school. How university utterly destroys my freetime... Sorry for such a long delay – I'll try to make it a bit more frequent from here on out, just lately I've had some MAJOR assignments to take care of._

_So ya... we're scrolling back in time a little bit here to look at what happened to Radarr after Aerrow and Finn walked off to find Carver, then ending off at the same moment as the end of the previous chapter. I think that's pretty straight forward... Just hang in there for this chapter, the ending is one of my favourite parts in the fic. Don't forget to review!_

_P.S. Did I mention that crates are the ideal hiding place? Who doesn't love a good crate? :P_

_P.P.S. I was browsing the first few pages of Storm Hawks fics. (Me? Reading other fics? It's amazing, I know...) Anywho... it made me realize just how lucky I am to have the high review : chapter ratio that I do. (Especially considering one is just a prologue). Thanks to all of you amazing people out there who have sent in reviews! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, not to mention fills me with bucketfuls of warm yummy motivation. (Like chocolate syrup! On cookies! And vanilla ice cream!) Umm... I think I'm just a bit too hyper right now..._

_**Wolf**__: __I told Minn she could let me write some because of her lack of free time. But would she. __No!__ (Just kidding, Minn! We both agreed that this fic should have only one main writer . . . although I would have been happy to write Radarr's section! Ha ha!)_

_If all of you didn't know, this chapter is the one with the infamous DP we had trouble sorting out. Remember DP, "Duck Problem"? Yeah, Minn and I spent __weeks__ deciding how that scene should go!_

_And yes, everyone agrees: crates make great hiding places. Right? __Right?_

_And like Minn said, don't forget to review! Because I like reviews. And pie. Especially pumpkin pie. And it's fall, where there's pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie and carrot cake and venison stew and Indian corn and chestnuts and cranberry bread and Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and Halloween candy . . . I love fall!_

_Um . . . you got better things to do than hear about fall foods. Like reading! So without further ado:_

Chapter 5: Divided

It's not that he didn't like being the lookout – on the contrary – more often than not he was always watching Aerrow's back. But...

Saharr was hot and crowded. Radarr tended to be optimistic in situations of stress, but it was hectic trying to make sure that no one stumbled across the hiding place where Aerrow and Finn had left the skimmer less than a couple of minutes ago. The small blue creature stood on top of a crate, peeking through a crack between two others which allowed him to view people on the street while remaining hidden himself. After a short time of this diligent watch, Radarr's attention began to waver, and he groaned at his duty. He wished Aerrow and Finn would return soon. He wanted to know what Carver was up to, but he wanted to leave this hot, itchy terra even more.

Frustrated at his surrounding and a little tired, Radarr scratched behind his ear and shook out the sand caught in his fur. With a small sigh, he resumed his watch over the skimmer. People of all sorts were passing on the street: an old man in a grey cloak; a pair of young girls; a carrier pilot; a middle-aged brown haired man; Carver...

Carver?

Radarr squawked in surprise at the discovery as he continued to keep a careful eye trained on the traitor. Carver was still wearing his cloak, and he was carrying a somewhat large box underneath one arm. Radarr narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What was Carver up to? But then, Radarr grew alert as Carver merged farther into the crowd, and the Storm Hawk knew he had a choice. He could either abandon his post and investigate further, or he could guard the skimmer and let Carver slip away. Radarr glanced back and forth between the skimmer and the part of the crowd where Carver was quickly disappearing. With a final bark of exasperation, Radarr jumped over the crates and pursued sneakily through the crowd, careful not to be seen.

It wasn't too hard keeping an eye on Carver – he moved straight and with purpose. Naturally, Radarr possessed the advantage of stealth being rather small himself. He stayed close to the ground on all fours, and kept his gaze locked on Carver with extreme distaste and curiosity. True, there was a small twinge of guilt in the back of his mind for leaving the skimmer behind, especially since Aerrow had directly ordered Radarr to keep an eye on it. However, Radarr was determined to see this through. He saw this as a chance worthy of the risk, and he was going to find out what Carver was up to.

But the villain didn't seem so sure now. He gazed down the side-streets and at the tents repeatedly. Radarr recognized the signs of a person who had lost their way. Quite suddenly and perhaps a bit too harshly, Carver stopped a passer-by with his left hand, careful to keep a firm grip on the mysterious box with the other.

"Where is Renswicks' shop?" Carver demanded darkly. The innocent pedestrian – a scrawny young man with dark hair – looked greatly intimidated and pointed Carver in the right direction. Carver merely grunted in reply and pressed on. Radarr was about to pursue when...

"What the—?"

A huge foot came out of nowhere and Radarr yelped as he was nearly trampled underneath. With lighting reflexes only possessed by a startled animal, Radarr scurried behind some crates, panting hard as he took shelter. He peered around when he was sure it was safe to see a large man who had just emerged from the tent entrance that, until seconds ago, Radarr had been lying in front of.

"What is it, Marv?" some woman had asked from inside the canvas.

"Darned if I saw," the imposing man replied somewhat roughly. "Probably some huge rat or something..." he muttered as he tromped away. Radarr snorted, unimpressed. He was _not_ a rat. However, there were more pressing matters at hand than Radarr's wounded pride. The run-in with the man had given Carver the perfect chance to slip away. Radarr scoured the street, but his target was nowhere to be found. However, Radarr wasn't greatly discouraged. At least he knew where Carver was headed. Feeling like he had achieved his goal, Radarr smirked proudly and turned back to head to the skimmer so he could warn Aerrow and Finn.

It didn't take long to return to his post. Circling around behind the tents that lined the road, he approached the skimmer from behind, where he could clearly make out the ride, shining in the sun. Goal in sight, Radarr threw caution to the wind as he began to run towards the skimmer. However, he halted all too late when he realized his mistake.

Three Third Degree Burners were gathered around Aerrow's skimmer, and now peered straight down at Radarr.

"I knew it!" Blister shouted as Radarr stared up at the humans, panicked and slowly retreating. "The Storm Hawks are here! Get him!"

At the command, Radarr's fight or flight sense had been triggered, and he definitely knew which option he was going to submit to. Like a bolt of lightning, he scampered through the streets on all fours, weaving in and out of the crowd. He could hear the Burners close behind him, though they were slowly losing ground. Radarr smirked. He had the advantage.

As he rounded a corner, Radarr noticed his chance to shake his pursuers. There was a solid-looking fence to his left with loose sand at the bottom. Making a harsh turn, Radarr dove under the fence and wriggled through the small gap he buried through in the sand. Quickly standing once he reached the other side and pressing his frame against the wood, Radarr silenced his fast breathing and peeked through a gap between the boards. He mostly spotted feet, but he was able to identify the muscular ankles that belonged to the Burners. They paused briefly outside of Radarr's hiding spot. Radarr felt his fur go on end, but the feeling slowly went away as the squadron decided they had lost their target, and moved on.

Radarr sighed in relief as the Burners left, but in the short time he had to reflect on this new situation, a stronger twinge of guilt than that of before nagged at him. This was his fault. If he didn't abandon the skimmer, the Burners probably would not have been alerted to their presence. Radarr groaned quietly to himself but knew there was nothing he could do to change it now. He would just have to hope that Aerrow and Finn would be okay...

Brushing himself off, Radarr turned around, deciding he should probably go off in search of his friends. However, he was not expecting to see what he had walked into.

There was a chicken behind him.  
>And another one behind her.<p>

In fact, there were a lot of chickens gathered behind Radarr. Unknown to the small creature when he had wriggled under the fence, he had unwillingly stumbled into a yard filled to the brim with hens of all colours. And every last one of them was eyeing Radarr with the oddest look – a look quite familiar to Radarr.

Oh no.  
>Not now.<br>Not _again_.

Radarr whimpered slightly, pressing himself closer against the fence. The chicken leading the rest of the brood (white, of course) clucked slightly in wistful anticipation. However, she followed by letting loose with a loud squawk of dominance, causing her sisters to rush forward in a mighty wave of feathers.

Fleeing for his life, Radarr dove back underneath the fence and scurried off in a blur of blue. However, the hens weren't going to shy away from a little hole. They poured out in pursuit of their hearts' desire. Radarr looked behind him as he wove through the streets of Saharr. Ridiculous chickens! He had to shake them off his tail or risk drawing too much attention to himself. But how? That flock was massive and they weren't losing any ground. The hearts in their eyes blinded them to everything else.

It was then that Radarr spotted a narrow chute coming out of the sand. Perfect! He didn't know what it was for or what it was doing there, but it seemed like the perfect hiding place for him. Not having to time to give it much thought, Radarr jumped into the opening of the pipe and crouched on (what he assumed) was the sandy bottom. It was dark and smelly inside, but it was worth it if it meant he had given the hens the slip.

Radarr listened through the thin metal carefully. He heard the hens approach... and run right past his hiding spot. Radarr smiled to himself. Perfect! Now... to get out of this chute...

Radarr looked around himself and was about to jump for the opening, when he suddenly felt the ground give a little bit beneath him. Pausing in surprise, Radarr turned his face down to his feet. It was too dark to see, but it felt like the sand he was standing on was covering something... bulkier? Suddenly, whatever it was collapsed on itself, and Radarr found he was falling down more of the chute that he wasn't aware of. It slanted and levelled off a bit, then opened suddenly out of the side of the terra.

Radarr panicked for a second as he fell through the air, but was abruptly cut off when he landed in a large pile of garbage. Pulling himself out of the trash, Radarr's nose stung at the rank smell, and he groaned in revulsion. Disgusting! He had landed in a garbage barge. That chute was a trash disposal!

Looking a little ragged and smelling even worse, Radarr stood up and (in a futile effort to improve his appearance) brushed himself off. Sticking out his tongue while he pulled an old banana peel off his fur, Radarr turned around and looked up to the surface of the terra. It wasn't too high up... the fall to the barge was a short one. Radarr supposed he could climb back up. The terra was sandy on top but it was solid rock beneath.

However, just as he was gauging the jump between the barge and the side of the terra, a sudden lurch made Radarr fall face-first into the garbage. The barge had begun to move! Radarr scrambled to his feet and looked around desperately. Knowing he had to get back to the terra, Radarr dashed to the back rail of the barge, but no luck. There's no way he could jump the gap now.

Seeing Saharr move farther and farther away, Radarr whimpered. Aerrow and Finn were back there, and they would have no idea where Radarr went. But either way, the Storm Hawk was leaving Saharr, whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

><p>It wasn't too long a flight, though Radarr had somehow managed to nod off, despite the stink. The recent excitement had caught up with him, and he had a solid sleep not entirely by choice as the barge continued to make its way to its destination. However, it was to a rude awakening that Radarr was greeted. He startled suddenly from sleep when he felt the trash fall out from underneath him, and before he knew it, he was falling along with it! Radarr landed (once again) into a large pile of garbage. Groaning and pulling himself out of the refuse, Radarr looked up to the sky and saw a large (now empty) ship flying away.<p>

Oh. So he was in a dump.

Looking around himself, Radarr was discouraged to discover that he was in a rather _big_ dump. There was trash on all sides of him, and the sickly sweet smell burned his nose. In the distance, there was a long hill isolating the trash from the rest of the terra. Well, Radarr supposed, he might as well start heading for that so he could get a good view of where he was. Rising to his feet and being careful not to step on anything too disgusting, Radarr slowly advanced toward his goal.

It was a gross and revolting experience, one which Radarr constantly compared to Tearthorne forest. So far, he couldn't tell which was worse. His current situation wasn't improved on when he tripped over something sticking out of the other refuse, sending him falling face first into something slimy, bad-smelling, and green. Growling in frustration, Radarr turned his head to spy on what the culprit was. It seemed Radarr had tripped over a long piece of thin metal jutting out of the debris at an odd angle. But wait... Radarr paused as he rose to his feet and wiped the gunk off his face. Something about that looked familiar. Radarr approached the tip of the metal curiously and cleared away some of the trash surrounding it. Seeing what it was, Radarr squawked in excitement. He was right – it was the tip of a wing.

And a wing meant a skimmer.

Excited and hopeful, Radarr dug through the trash, revealing the rest of the ride. It took several minutes, but the renewed hope blinded Radarr to any disgust he may have felt before. When the entire machine was cleared, Radarr yanked on the front engine with all his might to drag it out of the hole. It came out easier than expected, which wasn't a good sign. It may have ended up just an empty shell. However, Radarr wasn't about to let himself be discouraged. He quickly performed a diagnosis of the skimmer.

But the outlook wasn't good. Some serious parts were missing. This wasn't just a matter of some major repairs. Radarr needed resources. The question was, where to get them? Radarr looked around and sorted through some of the debris near the skimmer, but he couldn't find anything of use. At this Radarr groaned. Now what? He was so excited at his discovery... was it all going to go to waste?

Deciding that he had no choice but to abandon the skimmer for now and resort to the previous plan of heading for the hill, Radarr turned and trudged away from the ride.

It was several moments before he reached the hill, and another handful before he was able to climb to the top. Hot, smelly, and incredibly filthy, Radarr panted in exhaustion as he fell onto the nice, soft grass. However, once he had recovered somewhat, there was something he spied that gave Radarr hope. There was a small village a short distance away from the dump. Maybe he could find something down there that could help him fix the skimmer! Perking up slightly, Radarr descended.

Keeping in mind the situation behind his being here, Radarr moved carefully as he neared the outskirts of the small homesteads. It seemed quiet enough – granted a little _too_ quiet to be a large purveyor of skimmer parts – but Radarr figured there couldn't be any harm in looking around. However, extra cautious from his recent experiences, he crouched behind a bush quickly as he heard some skyrides descend on the terra. Peeking from between the leaves, Radarr noted that it was the Screaming Queens.

Just great.

No doubt they were in search of the Storm Hawks. You would need some serious business to fly willingly to this undesirable terra. Radarr watched attentively from his hiding place as the Screaming Queens dismounted. The leader spoke some words to her squad that Radarr couldn't pick up on, but they soon left, beginning their business on foot. Radarr glanced back at where they had parked their rides and with a small chirr, smiled mischievously. This was the perfect opportunity...

It was several minutes before the Screaming Queens returned to their rides, their patience a little worse for wear. This terra proved, like several others before it, unfruitful to their investigation.

"Let's go, girls," the Sky Knight addressed her squad. She tried to start her ride, but the machinery inside merely made a hollow clicking noise as she opened the throttle. In frustration, she tried again, but the same result occurred. Curious at the state of her leader's skyride, one of the other squad members started her skimmer. It drove about two feet... until it fell to pieces. The third hesitantly observed her vehicle, and tentatively pushed the ignition, which sent an unpleasant electric shock throughout her body.

From the top of the hill, Radarr was pleasantly surveying the mayhem he caused. He had just enough time to salvage all the parts he needed to fix the junkyard skimmer... and perhaps a little more. Grinning widely as the pink-haired knight's skimmer let out a large plume of smoke, Radarr carried the last bundle of skyride parts down to the skimmer.

It was only a matter of time before he had it running...

* * *

><p>For Aerrow and Finn, it was a long, quiet flight. Neither Storm Hawk really knew what to say to the other. And truthfully... neither one really felt like talking. Finally, after an indistinguishable amount of time, Aerrow parked the skimmer on a somewhat familiar terra. The both of them dismounted to survey the surroundings.<p>

"Nostrus," Finn stated hollowly. He knew they were coming here. It was one of the few words exchanged between the two since leaving Saharr.

"It was the only place I could think of," Aerrow retorted perhaps a little too testily.

"Right," Finn said, not really seeming to care. However, the apathy got to Aerrow like nothing else had, and he had finally taken his limit.

"What's your _deal_, Finn?" Aerrow burst out.

"You want to know my 'deal'?" Finn responded smoothly with a harsh tone, as if he had expected this fight to come. "I've had it with everything that's been happening. I've had it with being tired, and jumping from terra to terra, and splitting up and... and... this!" Finn gestured to their general surroundings, and Aerrow looked away from Finn's gaze a little guilty, knowing that he wasn't entirely blameless. "We're in the middle of nowhere, with nothing!" Finn continued. "And now Radarr's gone as well as the others."

"You think I don't know that?" Aerrow rounded on Finn. "You think I'm happy with this situation?"

"You're the one that led us here!"

Aerrow paused and looked at Finn with a gaze of deep surprise and hurt. "You don't really mean that," Aerrow said coolly, though he couldn't hide the doubt in his eyes.

"Whatever," Finn avoided, though he seemed to have cooled down a bit. He turned away from Aerrow, but the Sky Knight wasn't about to forget what he just heard. Did Finn really think he was to blame? Granted, he was the leader of the Storm Hawks, but... what else was he supposed to do?

Trying to find the right way to settle this without a fight, Aerrow approached Finn from behind. "Finn, I..." But Aerrow was cut off by the hum of a skimmer overhead. He looked up, and saw that it was Dove descending towards them. "How—" Aerrow began, but Finn interrupted.

"I radioed her and gave our coordinates just as we left Saharr," the sharpshooter explained. He said it coldly and unmistakably in defiance.

"You _radioed_ the Ducks?" Aerrow questioned, appalled at the rashness of Finn's decision.

"Just Dove," Finn defended. "What's the problem?"

"Problem?" Aerrow repeated in slight anger and panic as he saw Dove's ride descend into the trees. "Finn, I'm suspicious that the Ducks have turned!"

"What?" Finn stammered, surprise making him forget to act cool and distant. "What do you mean you—" But he was cut off when Dove suddenly came into view.

Aerrow tensed cautiously and Finn glanced back and forth between the Sky Knight and the Duck, confused at the new situation. Dove approached the Storm Hawks with a smile, naive to the tension building. However, her face fell as she saw it was just the two of them.

"Is it only you?" Dove asked, seeming concerned.

"Yes," Aerrow replied coldly, not taking the effort to elaborate. The behaviour did not go unnoticed by Dove, and her eyes narrowed slightly, but not in anger... more like guilt.

"What happened?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Aerrow questioned, Finn staying silent between the two others.

"I heard you were ambushed on Latebra," Dove said, a little passionately which bore a ring of truth. She wasn't angry, only worried. "That's why I was zo relieved when you radioed me your coordinates. I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Is that why you really came?" Aerrow continued to counter.

"What are you talking about?" Dove asked, exasperated and concerned – she had picked up on the hostility. "Of course! I was worried!"

"Then where's the rest of the Ducks?" Aerrow suddenly shot out. This question took Dove off guard, and she broke her gaze with Aerrow, looking uneasy. Finn looked at Dove curiously. "Aren't the other people of Gale worried?" Aerrow continued. "Where's your family, Dove? What are they doing right now?"

Dove didn't have an answer. She merely fixed her gaze uncomfortably on the ground.

Finn was still baffled by the situation. He just... didn't want to believe this. "...Dove?" he asked tentatively, hoping for an explanation.

"That ees what I came 'ere to talk to you about!" Dove suddenly burst out. "I—"

But she was interrupted by static. Aerrow's com gear had buzzed to life, and the suddenness of it caught the attention of all three individuals.

"Aerrow... ...-row... ...respo-... The... ...have turn-..."

The message was terribly garbled and faint, but nonetheless, Aerrow could very clearly tell that it was Piper's voice. In seconds he had rushed to his skimmer. "Piper!" Aerrow radioed back, the worry in his voice plain. "What's wrong? Who has turned?"

But clearly the recent repairs were far from perfect, for Piper gave no indication that she had heard him, though her next message was response enough.

"...-peat! ... Rebel Ducks... ...have turned..."

"Piper," Aerrow called back into the com gear. "Piper!"

But there was nothing more. Only static.

Hollow and blank, Aerrow switched off the com gear and faced Dove with an ice-cold glare.

"Mind explaining _that_?"

Finn continued to look between the two. He didn't know what to think. Dove eyed Aerrow back resolutely. There was glint of shame in her eyes, but she wasn't going to back down.

"I can explain."

"I think I've heard enough."

"No, wait! You need to listen..."

"You gave into peer pressure, is that it? Or maybe you just want Gale to be safe."

"Don't talk zo flippantly about eet!" Dove yelled, her accent coming out strongly in her anger. She was clearly passionate and torn at the situation. "I know it's hard for you but don't forget the difficulty that the rest of us have to go through, too! It's not easy doing what you know is right! I came 'ere alone to support you!"

"Because your squadron was busy attacking my team!"

"They're not my squadron anymore," Dove argued, pointedly.

Aerrow was momentarily taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I left the Ducks," Dove informed the two, a little less aggressively but still tense. "There was talk... I didn't agree with them, but I proved to be a minority..."

There was a pause as Aerrow debated whether or not to believe her, but Dove now turned to pleading.

"You have to believe me!" Dove reasoned. "I left them zo I could 'elp you!"

"Still... a little convenient, isn't it?" Aerrow asked, skeptical and no longer willing to trust anyone. "You're the only one we told about Latebra. And not after five minutes since we landed, a turned squad knew exactly where to find us."

"I don't know how that happened," Dove stated simply, but it did nothing to persuade Aerrow. He stood in silent judgment, but finally Finn found his own words.

"...We could give her a chance."

Aerrow turned to Finn, amazed at what he heard. "What?"

"I'm just saying..." Finn said, in a weak effort to defend his argument, yet adamant all the same. "It's not like we have any proof."

"Finn! Did you not hear Piper just now? We can't trust Dove! She's the enemy!"

Dove gasped as if she had been struck, and Aerrow tensed harshly.

Wait...  
>What?<br>Why did he say that? He didn't mean to say that.

Finn merely looked back at Aerrow with dim, searching eyes, shocked his leader would say such a thing. But it was Dove that Aerrow turned to. She stared at him with wide eyes and an expression of the deepest hurt.

"Wait... Dove... I didn't mean..." Aerrow stammered. But the damage had been done.

"I thought you of all people would know what it feels like not to be trusted." And without another word, Dove ran back into the trees, towards her skimmer.

"Wait! Dove!"

But she didn't come back.

Aerrow could only stare, appalled at his own words. However, Finn had his thoughts to voice.

"What is your problem?"

Aerrow turned to Finn in disbelief. What did he have to be furious about?

"What?" Aerrow asked, not being able to believe that his wingman would actually side against him.

"You thought the Ducks were turned? Why didn't you tell me?"

Oh. Right. That.

"Finn..."

"Was that why you wanted to go to Wayside instead of Gale?" Finn interrupted. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me the real reason?"

"No, you've got this all wrong," Aerrow defended, though he was faltering. "It wasn't just the Ducks... We found out about Saharr and Carver, didn't we?"

"And lost Radarr!" Finn accused.

Aerrow didn't have a proper response to that. He knew it was because of his decision that things turned out the way they had. Seeing Aerrow hesitate, Finn continued on, sad and disappointed.

"Why weren't you just open with me from the start?"

"I..." Why wasn't he? "...I wanted to be sure."

"No," Finn denied, anger clouding his judgment. "You didn't trust me. You think that since you're the Sky Knight you can just keep everything to yourself. No need to confide in the wingman, huh?"

"Now hold on a second, Finn," Aerrow denied vehemently. "That's not true at all."

"Forget this," Finn rejected. "You say we can't trust the Ducks, but I can't trust _you. _Just..." But Finn had reached his limit. Finding no other words to express his betrayal and anger, he threw up his arms and stomped off the way Dove had fled.

"Finn!" Aerrow called after his friend. "Wait! Finn!"

But he wasn't coming back either.

Angry, exhausted, and confused, Aerrow fell back onto the seat of his skimmer, using it a support. How did this happen? How did it all go so wrong?

* * *

><p>Dove had reached her skimmer, and paused while mounting to wipe her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Sniffling slightly in shame, she seated herself on the ride. However, before she had the chance to start the engine, another figure approached her through the trees.<p>

It was Finn.

"What is it?" Dove asked, trying to sound defiant yet not completely able to hide the slight waver in her voice. "Do you want to give me the third degree, too?"

"No," Finn said, solidly. "I want to go with you."

Dove just sat stock still. After a long pause, all she could manage was, "...What?"

"Aerrow was wrong about me. Chances are he's wrong about you, too."

Dove was completely taken aback. She didn't know what to think. "You... wouldn't say that if you weren't mad."

"Yes," Finn replied. "I would."

Dove knew he didn't mean it, but she was willing to listen all the same.

"I won't argue with you if you trust me," Dove conceded vaguely.

"Then let's go."

* * *

><p>It was his fault. It was his job as a leader to make sure nothing like this happened.<p>

He should have told Finn.

He should have done a lot of things differently. Aerrow didn't even know how Piper, Stork, and Junko were doing... let alone Radarr. He had tried so hard to protect his team... but his actions only tore them apart.

Aerrow rose from his skimmer and sighed. He should go find Finn and apologize. They were both under a lot of stress... it just all came out the wrong way. As for Dove... Aerrow just didn't know. They thought they could trust people before... how far did the treaty's influence reach?

He didn't know if he could take that chance.  
>He was scared to take that chance.<br>Scared to trust.

But he couldn't do this on his own, either. It was his mistake from the very beginning to think that the squad would be able to handle this separated. He had to find his team... before it was too late.

Aerrow rose to his feet but the action was greeted by the roar of a skimmer taking off. Aerrow looked up at the sky, expecting to see Dove flying away. However, his heart plummeted at what he saw.

Finn was with her.

He was leaving Aerrow behind... just as Aerrow left him.

Furious at himself, Aerrow yelled out and kicked his skimmer forcefully. The vent in anger though did nothing to satisfy him. He had failed. There was nothing left.

They were all divided.


	7. How Could This Happen?

**Minn: **_What can I say? Midterms. But they're done now so yay! I have free time again! Sorry to those who I told that this was going to be out earlier... I'm cursed when it comes to predicting updates.  
>Anywho we're back to Piper, Junko and Stork. The fic is really picking up now, people! There's a good action scene in this chapter, and somewhat soon a little special something is on the way... What could it be? Only the scene that inspired <em>this entire story!_ (It's going to be so brilliantly epic! XD ) So remember, read, enjoy, and most importantly REVIEW! I don't know if this is any good unless you tell me so. I need to know what you guys think of the plot elements so I can add/subtract foreshadowing accordingly. ;)_

Chapter 6: How Could This Happen?

What was left? Their options had run out. Rinjiin had betrayed them. The Ducks had betrayed them... there was nowhere to turn to.

Piper sat on the bridge with Stork and Junko, once again debating feebly on what to do next. Although, no one said very much. Spirits were low and became all the lower when Piper thought about the other half of their team. At least she, Junko and Stork had the _Condor_. What did the others have? A skimmer? Who knows what may have happened to them...

Piper shook her head slightly and clenched her fist in irritation at herself. No! She couldn't think like that.

Stork seemed to be lost in thought as well. He was always quiet and solemn around the ship, but lately he had become noticeably more so. Junko appeared to be the only one who was still trying. There was something about his gentle naïve manner around the two others that gave them the smallest glimmer of hope. Though on the inside, Junko knew just as well as Piper and Stork that their situation was bleak, at least (as he constantly reminded his friends) they had each other. Piper smiled softly as she looked across the table at the Wallop. She was grateful... the team would be a lot worse if it wasn't for Junko's optimism.

However, all the optimism in the world wasn't going to allow the team to avoid the fact that they were still left with nowhere to go... and their supplies weren't going to last forever.

Piper kept reviewing the options they had come up with before Sky's End. Would it be best to hide out on an abandoned terra? Piper didn't want to consider it. It would feel too much like giving up. She couldn't let go of that one last small piece of control she still retained. Also... there was Starling...

Piper knew there was no way to contact her, for the team had tried her radio once again to no avail. If Starling wanted to vanish... she knew how to do so. The question was, why? What did she have to fear? Did Starling not trust the radio frequencies? Or was it... something else?

Regardless, it looked like the team had no choice. Piper glimpsed at her two comrades on the bridge and sighed. Well... this was it. Remote terra it was... If only Starling...

Piper paused. Her sudden stiffness and alert face attracted Stork's and Junko's attention. They looked at her questioningly, but Piper merely peered off into the distance with wide eyes.

"Oh..." Piper quietly gasped.

Junko and Stork exchanged puzzled glances with one another, but then nearly jumped out of their skins when Piper almost toppled the table with a sudden outburst of energy.

"Guys! That's it!" Piper cheered excitedly, standing up and slamming her hands on the table with a little too much force.

Stork looked a little resentful about the much unexpected disturbance, but Junko quickly felt the vibes of optimism coming off of Piper.

"What's it?" the Wallop asked eagerly.

"The solution to our problem," Piper replied, pulling out a chart and laying it flat on the table. "I know where to go!"

"And where, pray tell, is this wonderful place?" Stork asked, always the skeptic yet not fully able to conceal his excitement as well.

"Mesa!" Piper grinned, pointing at the terra on the map as she called out its name. "It's perfect! No one visits that terra so we'll be safe, but it was also the old home of the Interceptors."

Piper smiled, but Junko and Stork didn't seem to completely follow her train of thought. "I know it's a long shot..." Piper trailed off, her spirits dying down a bit. "But what if Starling still visits it on occasion? I'm sure she must. We could hide out there until she makes an appearance. I'm sure she'll be willing to help, if not able to figure a way out of this mess."

Stork and Junko considered Piper's plan. True, the navigator often had an idealistic view of exactly what Starling was capable of... but this seemed reasonable enough. Junko smiled at Stork, and the Merb grinned tentatively back.

"We're in," Junko agreed.

* * *

><p>The team reached Mesa in record time. Luckily, it happened to be very close by. The <em>Condor <em>was parked near the edge of the rocky earth, for closer to the center of the terra were located several dilapidated buildings of great size.

Piper, Junko and Stork had exited the ship in order to take a look at their surroundings. The terra was rocky and flat, enhancing the size of the old, run-down structures in comparison. Piper looked around, getting her bearings, then led the other two silently to the door of one of the larger buildings. It looked like a warehouse... or maybe a factory. Piper glanced up, taking in its bulk, then brought her gaze level with the outer wall. Without saying anything, Piper reached out and placed a hand gently on the metal. Strange… the climate was warm, yet the wall still seemed so cold.

"What… is all this?" Junko asked softly.

Mesa was one of the leading industrial terras for the Atmosian Alliance before it was invaded," Piper explained, drawing her hand away and observing the dust left behind on her fingers. "That was probably the reason why it was hit so soon after the original Storm Hawks fell."

Stork and Junko looked timidly up at the run-down structure. There was something about it which demanded respect despite its deterioration.

"A once strong and united terra..." Piper mused quietly. "Now reduced to this."

Stork and Junko bowed their heads in respect, though the moment did not last long; in the silence, it was easy to pick up on any faraway sounds.

Such as the sounds of a skimmer.

Piper tensed and looked with her friends at the sky. Sure enough, there was a brown dot making its way through the clear sky towards them.

"No..." Piper moaned. "No!" This was such a perfect idea... the perfect place. Was it all going to be taken away the moment they arrived? However, all hope was not lost when the skyride came closer. It was just one solitary pilot. Surely a turned squad would bring its members. But still... he or she was too far away to see.

"Who is it?" Junko asked, voicing the question that all three were thinking.

Ever prepared, Stork pulled out his pair of binoculars. There was a brief click as one of the front lenses snapped down. Stork hummed in concentration as the lenses focused; however, once the picture came clear, a smile split its way across Stork's mouth. Piper and Junko sighed in relief. If Stork was smiling, it had to be good news.

"Who is it, Stork?" Piper repeated the question. However, rather than telling her, Stork simply handed her the binoculars. Piper peered eagerly through them, and was surprised at what she saw.

"It's... Harrier."

* * *

><p>All three Storm Hawks were very much taken aback at the Knight's sudden appearance. (And indeed, given what they had been through, also slightly hesitant). However, Harrier made it clear that he still remained as loyal as ever to the Storm Hawks when he landed and grinned widely to see that half the squadron was there to meet him.<p>

"Storm Hawks," Harrier greeted. "Thank goodness you're alright."

Piper was surprised to see that Harrier, normally someone who was so composed and calm, actually appeared quite flustered and concerned for the team. "Same here," Piper returned. "But Harrier... not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"I heard about what had happened at Latebra," Harrier answered, cutting straight to the chase. "I was greatly disappointed at the news... after all, I was the one who had recommended visiting Gale. Please, let me apologize. I never imagined that the Ducks would have turned on you in such a brutish way."

"It's fine, Harrier..." Piper reassured him, though still curious, for the Knight had still failed to explain what he was doing on Mesa.

Harrier seemed to realize this, for he continued with his narrative. "I almost feel responsible," the Guardian said, making a clear display of his remorse. "I should have made absolutely sure of Latebra's security. Regardless, once I had heard that your team had split up, I felt I couldn't relax until I knew where you all were."

"Thank you, Harrier... really," Piper responded again as Junko smiled, surprised that Harrier was so concerned over the team. He was normally so formal and distant. Piper supposed it made some sense – Harrier was the only ally they had – but there was still some part of this that was nagging her.

"How did you know we were on Mesa?" Piper asked.

"Ah, yes, of course," Harrier said. "Forgive me, I tend to be giving the facts in reverse. The simple explanation of events is that I have been attempting to track you down and have only succeeded just now. Don't worry..." Harrier suddenly interrupted, for Piper had raised a hand in protest at the methods Harrier had used. "I did so in a way that cannot be duplicated. I am the only one who knows you are here."

Junko seemed willing to accept this explanation, but Stork looked over at Piper nervously. The navigator returned the look and resumed reasoning with Harrier. "At the same time..." Piper continued, not wanting to hurt the Knight's feelings. (Did he even have feelings?) "I appreciate you being worried about us, but..." Piper hesitated, not knowing how to phrase her response without sounding ungrateful. "You shouldn't have come here. What if you were followed?"

"I can assure you, I made absolutely sure of the matter that—"

But Harrier was cut off, for at that moment, multiple skimmers could be seem on the horizon, and telling from the look on Harrier's face, they weren't the rest of the Guardians come to join them.

"Harrier!" Piper exclaimed, frustrated, but the Knight wouldn't let himself be easily phased.

"Don't worry!" he said, turning to the team. "I can handle this – I'll call the Guardians. Go inside and I'll hold them off until my squadron gets here and gives you the chance to slip away.

"You want us to hide in... there?" Stork said, gesturing to the, though granted large, greatly dilapidated and flimsy looking warehouse.

"Harrier, we'll be cornered!" Piper argued, but there wasn't time for protests. The unknown squad was closing in, though it could only be assumed they were hostile.

"It was my fault for coming here," Harrier excused. "Let me help you. Please, go inside."

Harrier seemed desperate, but there was still something holding Piper back. "Harrier, I—"

"Go inside!" Harrier suddenly shouted. With a flustered face, he raced off to meet the other squad in the sky.

"Maybe... we should do what he says?" Junko asked timidly, yet not without tension. The turned squad was close, and the _Condor_ was a fair distance away.

Piper sighed. She still didn't want to follow Harrier's plan, but they could probably rely on his experience as a Sky Knight. Besides... they could depend on the Guardians to get here in time…

"Junko! Stork! Inside!" Piper called.

* * *

><p>The hostile skimmers landed just as Piper pulled the sliding door shut. It was greatly rusty and made a large metallic clang as it rammed firmly against its frame. Piper turned to face her two friends, and they looked back at her with wary expressions. However, soon all three were distracted by their surroundings.<p>

The building they had retreated into was indeed some sort of old factory. There were long metallic conveyor belts and towers of boxes stacked in rows haphazardly. Long lead pipes crisscrossed their way overhead and some wove out of the ground, either connecting to their brothers overhead or – having rusted through – broke in half and bent over sideways, tired and worn. Rotted wooden planks lined the ground with sand and dust, some previously belonging to the floorboards, while the larger wooden beams clearly fell from the high, vast ceiling. Holes were torn through the roof, letting in thin shafts of sunlight which reflected off the large metal machinery and the small glimmering bits of dust which hung lazily in the air. This was the only light source; the rest of the building was incredibly dark and musty.

The whole thing was so large, it temporarily left the team speechless. They couldn't even see all the way to the back, makeshift walls made out of the machinery and crates blocking their view. There were some old catwalks overhead and structural beams which suggested a second (maybe even third) floor, but it looked too unsteady to Piper to be considered as a valid place to hide... best stick to the ground floor.

"Come on," Piper said, motioning to her team. "And stay quiet. We don't know if they saw us come in here."

The three Storm Hawks navigated their way through the maze, for indeed, it was just as easy to hide as it was to become lost. However, Piper had a good sense of direction and felt she knew where she was going. Stork looked around nervously, joined by Junko. Distant clangs and snaps of wood could be heard, and at one time it sounded like there was a patter of feet somewhere off in the distance.

"Mice?" Junko speculated in a whisper, turning to Piper.

"Let's hope so," she replied. Sensing they had probably ventured far enough into the factory, Piper decided it would be a good idea to look around. "Wait here," she addressed Stork and Junko. Bringing one foot up, she stepped onto a crate that stood at the bottom of a large pile, and tested it to see if it wouldn't collapse. It felt strong, so Piper continued to climb the tower of crates to see if she couldn't get a bird's eye view of the floor plan.

It was brighter when Piper emerged on top. There was nothing to block the dusty rays of sun from above. Piper's eyes adjusted, and as they did so, she was pleased to see that she could make out the large front door of the warehouse. However, the feeling was short lived, for at that moment, it began to open. Piper ducked but didn't let the sliding door leave her sight. She had to know who it was. With any luck, the Guardians would have arrived.

But it only took one glance at the silhouettes to tell Piper that it wasn't the Guardians.

At this, Piper ducked completely into hiding. She felt like cursing, but her instincts told her to be completely silent. How? Were the Guardians still en-route? Or did they already arrive? Were they alright?

And what happened to Harrier?

No. It was too early to worry about any of that. Right now Piper had to focus on the danger at hand. Jumping down from her hiding place, she landed smoothly beside her two friends. They looked at her expectantly, seeing a look of tension on her face.

"We're not alone," Piper whispered incredibly softly, the meaning behind her words clear. "Follow me. There might be a back door somewhere."

The three weaved through the crowded building quietly, but the pursuing team were equally silent. The three Storm Hawks couldn't remember the last time their nerves were more strained. Any second it felt like one of the members of the other squad would appear around the corner and sound the alarm. Again, distant bangs and clanks could be heard, but it was impossible to pinpoint the source.

After what seemed like ages of stressful wandering (though truthfully, it must have only been a couple of minutes) the team came to a dead end. Well, not exactly a dead end; there was a staircase in front of them, but Piper was less than willing to ascend to the second floor when she knew there were people on her tail.

"What now?" Junko asked, seeing Piper had come to a standstill.

"Wait here," Piper told Junko and Stork. "I'll backtrack and do recon on where they are."

"Be careful," Stork warned darkly. In any other circumstances Piper would have dismissed the input casually, but right now, she felt just as paranoid as Stork.

Turning a corner, Piper looked back tentatively and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. In and out. Basic recon. No sweat.

...Yeah right.

Regardless, though, she had to know which way to lead the others. She had taken on the acting role of team leader ever since they had first split up. It was her responsibility.

Piper stepped forward cautiously. Moving slowly with darting eyes, she walked down the corridor between a row of cables and a particularly large machine. The wires were thick and tangled, reminding Piper of snakes and rotting vines. The shadows coming through the cables moved about sneakily, which startled Piper several times and raised her suspicions. She eyed them carefully, not able to see through the hanging wires all the way. Were those footsteps? Piper held her breath and leaned in closer, the light slowly creeping across her face in odd patterns like camouflage. There was someone here. She reached out carefully with one hand, meaning to move the cables aside. Her hand brushed against them while her eyes remained fixed on the room beyond.

With a harsh gasp and startled reflexes, Piper dove to the side just in time. Her attention had been captured on the wrong side of the corridor, for her keen sense had picked up footsteps from behind her. And sure enough, no sooner had she hidden from view than a dark figure had appeared on the other end of the room.

"Okay," Piper thought to herself. "Way too close. No going that way..." Truthfully, she was extremely discouraged. She didn't think the others had closed in on them so closely. Chances were likely that they had one person stationed at each route.

They were cornered.

No. Not yet. They could still ascend to the second floor and hope to find some means to climb back down after they had given the other squad the slip. It could work, only...

If the Guardians were here, they wouldn't have to run.

An uncomfortable squirm moved its way through Piper's stomach, and she tightened her resolve not to worry about their ally just yet. They had to get out of here first.

Priorities.  
>Keep a clear head.<p>

Piper made her way stealthily back to her two friends, who had been waiting with baited breath. Every second felt like a minute.

"No good," the navigator informed. "We'll go up and find a way back down later."

"We're going upstairs?" Stork questioned nervously, already pushed to his limits. "Isn't that the _worst_ thing to do when being followed?"

"It's either that or get caught," Piper barked back under her breath. Her patience grew short under tension. "Now come on."

Junko followed silently, deciding it was best to say nothing, and Stork looked away nervously, knowing not to take it personally, and feeling bad for voicing a fact that in retrospect, the team probably already knew.

However, upon reaching the second floor, Piper almost had second thoughts about heading back down and risk being found by the other squad. The room above was much less cluttered and smaller than the ground floor, but it was the actual wooden floor itself which gave Piper pause. The planks had completely rotten through in some places, revealing holes to the first floor down below, which looked like quite a nasty fall if anyone were to get too close. However, there still appeared to be somewhat solid areas of the floor where piping and cables below provided extra support. By the looks of things a main vent passed vertically underneath them – they could rely on that for stability.

Piper took a step forward tentatively. The floorboard held, but it let out a nasty creak. Piper tensed but didn't let the sound stop her. Being careful to avoid any and all signs of rot, Piper, Junko and Stork made their way slowly to the centre of the room.

"Now what?" Junko asked.

"Ah..." Piper thought, looking around for inspiration. However, Stork was the first to spot it.

"There!" he announced, pointing to the wall opposite the one Piper had been facing. There was a broken window looking out onto the Mesa landscape.

"Perfect," Piper breathed, finally relieved to get a break. "Be careful making your way over there, because we don't—"

Chaos. A bang and a roar as Piper's sight was instantly flooded with painful orange light. An unseen force pushed her to the opposite side of the room, almost making her unconscious as her head hit the concrete wall. It wasn't too powerful a blow, but it still sent sparks into her eyes.

Wait... the sparks weren't fading, and the roar continued to shout throughout the factory. Piper shook her head and looked up as her vision cleared. The sparks were coming up through a now massive hole in the floor, and that wasn't the only thing coming through... flames the size of skimmers were soaring up to the ceiling, quickly engulfing the dried-out rafters.

An explosion? ...A fire.

"Stork!" Piper called, getting to her feet. "Junko!"

A burning beam from overhead crashed beside her, sending Piper running to the other side of the wall. "Junko! Stork!" Piper called again. She tried frantically to look around, but the fire was spreading incredibly quickly, and the smoke rising from the floor below made her eyes water, blurring her vision with the flames.

"Piper!"

It was Junko's voice. It was faint and Piper couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but at least there was a response! Piper looked around, trying to decide on which way to go. She took a step...

...and fell.

The burning floor gave out from underneath Piper, and a scream escaped her lips as she toppled to the ground.

She landed atop a stack of boxes which broke her fall. Piper looked up, amazed she was still alive, for the bottom floor was layered with concrete. _That _was lucky. However, the same couldn't be said for any other aspect of her situation.

It was an inferno.

Piper looked around in terrified awe of what she had fallen into. It was fire – endless fire. The flames were thick and bright, concealing hazy objects of indistinguishable origin. Thick, deep gray smoke rose from the wreckage, creating a ceiling of black overhead. The air was solid and hot. From somewhere in the distance, over the roar of the fire, Piper thought she heard a man shouting. However, shortly afterwards there was a loud crack, like the sound of splitting wood. No shouting followed.

This panicked Piper like nothing else. All she could do was stare into the flames, paralyzed in fear as her mind struggled to catch up with the situation.

She had to get out of here.

Stand up.  
>Go!<p>

Piper tried pulling herself up onto her feet but almost fell over again when she felt her ankle give out from underneath her. Piper gasped in anger and pain. She looked down and tried placing weight on her foot again. It could stand it. Not too much weight... but it wasn't broken. Just sprained?

No time.

Piper limped forward, looking around herself. All that came into view was the crisp black of charred wood and the painful shine of glimmering metal. Some wires crackled as the flames consumed their plastic casing. Piper didn't lag to observe.

Keep going.  
>Get out.<p>

"Junko!" Piper tried calling again, though the rational part of her mind knew she couldn't be heard over the roar of the flames. "Stork!"

It didn't matter who heard her now.

Piper continued forward, impeded by her ankle but determined. She had no idea which way she was moving, but she _would _find the exit. She had to.

A secondary explosion suddenly flared up nearby, the shockwave of which caused Piper to stumble and fall into a burning pillar. It gave out from her collision and sent burning splinters and cuts into Piper's side. She got back up and quickly patted out the flames of her clothing. There were burns there.

She looked to see what had caused the explosion, though it was impossible through the ever-growing smoke. It was so thick now even the brightness of the flames seemed to have dimmed.

Dimmed…  
>Darker…<br>Not real…

Piper shook her head. Stupid! Get to the ground! Piper kneeled down and crawled through the factory. Air... she had to keep a clear head. But... how was she supposed to find her way out? All she could see was the ever-present orange light and random debris obstructing her path.

Keep moving.  
>Just keep moving.<p>

Hot.  
><em>Burning.<em>

You can do it.  
>Just keep going.<p>

Piper could feel the sweat evaporating off her skin the moment it formed. She was being sucked dry from the heat.

Dried…  
>And smoked…<p>

Keep moving.

And what about Junko and Stork? What about the Guardians and Harrier?

Not now.  
>Keep going.<p>

It was too hot…  
>Just... too hot…<p>

Piper's head began to spin. Her crawl had slowed drastically. She felt like she would vomit if she thought there was still the fluid left inside of her to do so. And that _smoke_. That wretched smoke that burned her eyes and flooded every part of her.

What are you doing?  
>Keep going!<p>

But she couldn't. She just stayed there on all fours, defeated. Her energy was spent on just keeping herself balanced where she was. All she could do was stare at the stone floor beneath her and cry, not knowing exactly the reason why.

One last look.

She owed herself that.

Slowly, painfully, Piper raised her head.

It was all black. Just... smoke. Smoke and heat and flames.

But... no.

Not all flames.

There was a light in the distance. White light – clean and fresh. It could barely be made out from behind the smoke, but Piper's instinct knew what it meant.

A way out. Safety.

With renewed hope, Piper moved her way towards her goal. She had to reach it. She just _had _to.

But she couldn't.

Despite all of her desire, she just didn't have the strength. Her brain didn't have the air it needed to close that gap.

As Piper saw that the distant light grew darker as she tried to reach it, she once again broke into tears.

No... it wasn't fair...  
>She was so close...<p>

But the darkness closed in even closer as the world turned sideways.

No...

Why?...

In slow motion, Piper fell on her side and knew no more.


	8. Things Could Have Been Worse

**Minn: **_I CAN EXPLAIN! Okay, before I do, an apology for making you peeps wait so long, but here's why: 1) University finals. All of December all I did was study. 2) Christmas holidays. CRAZY hectic chaos going on around here. 3) Writer's block. A section of the story just would. not. BEHAVE. 4) I handed it off to Wolf to work on, but she was also busy with a huge amount of stuff throughout December._

_So basically, neither of us could write for a whole month. Now for the good news..._

_We ended up splitting this chapter in two. Not only that, but while trying to get past my writer's block, I wrote chapter 9 in advance, so there is now 2 whole extra chapters almost completed already! YAY! Updates are going to be a lot more frequent, I promise. :) _

_I know it's short, but bear with us. Like I said, it was split in two, but next chapter has some really good moments in it, and as I've constantly been saying, chapter nine has the scene that inspired this fic._

_And __**WhispertheWolf**__ wrote the first half of this chapter. RECOGNIZE HER. XP_

_Okay! So read, and more importantly, REVIEW! :D I've missed you peeps!_

_p.s. I was able to fit the titles of two Doctor Who episodes into one chapter. Go me!_

Chapter 7: Things Could Have Been Worse

Radarr raised his nose to the air, sniffing curiously. The forest before him seemed average enough, carpeted with dead leaves that crunched softly under his paws. The placed smelled of decaying foliage, moisture, and bulky trees. In the way of food, however, he couldn't smell anything, not even the slightest hint of fruit.

After having restored the junkyard skyride, Radarr had found it sturdy enough to take him in search of Aerrow and Finn, deciding that Terra Saharr might be a good spot to start. He had been driving for hours, and besides being a little tired, he was hungry. So a short stop had been in order. This terra, wherever it was, was the first terra he had seen where he could land undetected.

With a heavy sigh, he started forward, glancing back only to be sure of where he left the rusty skimmer. It seemed safe to leave it. No one would run off with a skyride in such a terrible state as that one.

Since this was a search for food, Radarr got down on all fours so he could put his nose to the ground as well as in the air. He scurried forward, stopping now and then to sniff around some more, always being sure he was headed in a straight line. He didn't want to lose his way here.

He hadn't been wandering long before he finally caught a whiff of what he was searching for: food! With a little squawk of glee, he scurried off in the direction the scent was coming from. On the way, he tripped over a root and tumbled head-over-heels right into a bush full of berries.

Well, that was one way to do it.

Radarr sat up and shook himself, irritated at having gotten purple berry stains on his uniform. However, food was food, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about finding it.

Perhaps it was because his nose was full of the scent of the berries, or maybe he was so happily munching on them that he completely turned off the rest of the world. All he knew was there was no reason he should have cut it so close.

Yet…he did.

Only when he realized that the glowing, yellow eyes were right in front of him, staring at him through the bush, did he squeal in fright and leap straight up toward the nearest tree branch. As soon as he did, something huge and dark leapt at him, its heavy jaws snapping shut on air as it just missed its target.

Panting heavily, Radarr looked down, pricking his ears toward the creature in astonishment. What _was_ that thing?

The creature crouched below the branch, growling in frustration, its hackles standing on end, causing the spines that ran along its back to rise as well. Its long, curved tail was held high and straight in the air with tension. It looked to be like some sort of dog-like animal, a black hound of some sort. Its fur was black, smooth, and very short so that it almost had a beautiful, metallic shine about it. The ears were wolf-like and currently pined back against the head as it growled at him, showing enormous, pearly-white fangs. The hound had a certain powerful bulk about it but was not so much that it was lumbering. It was more as if it had a body that was versatile enough to be quick, enduring, and powerful all at once. To make it even scarier, it was more than twice Radarr's size.

Radarr got a second look at those teeth. Definitely a carnivore. Thankfully, it couldn't reach him up here in this tree.

Apparently, though, the hound didn't intend to leave it at that. It reared up on its hind legs and rested its huge paws against trunk of the tree, giving on deep warning bark. Then, with a huge breath, it opened its mouth.

Radarr stared in horror as he saw the flames beginning to form within the hound's throat. _It was a fire breather!_

Well, staying in this tree was certainly not an option. With a squeal of terror, Radarr took a flying leap to the forest floor, landing midstride and racing away as fast as he could. Seeing his quarry on the run, the hound held back its fire and leaped after it, snarling in frustration.

Radarr's eyes were wide with fear. He wasn't used to facing dangers alone. He wasn't fearless, by any means, but it was much easier to face an enemy with Aerrow by his side. With Aerrow, anything was possible. Alone… how could he possibly handle this alone?

It was like Terra Zartacla. Just keep thinking like that, he told himself.

The hound was getting closer. For a moment, Radarr thought he smelled its hot breath on his back. Quickly he skidded to the side, veering around a tree. The hound couldn't turn as quickly. It spun around and skidded on the forest floor a moment, kicking up leaves and dirt at a standstill momentarily before it was able to follow.

Radarr glanced back. The hound had lost ground, thanks to that, but it was quickly gaining it back. Radarr had to do something.

What would Aerrow do?

Advantages. Aerrow would use whatever advantage he had. The hound was obviously bigger and stronger and quicker… but _it wasn't as agile!_ Smirking, Radarr veered around another tree. Growling, the hound veered with him, again missing its mark and losing ground. Radarr did it again, this time hearing the hound's jaws snap behind him as it reached for him. That one was too close for comfort.

The trees were thinning. Radarr was losing places to veer. Now what?

As if in answer to his question, the dark silhouette of a building seemed to materialize in front of him. It looked rundown and old, maybe abandoned. In the wall facing him appeared to be a hole, a result of decay.

Perfect.

Without another thought, Radarr plunged straight for the wall and dived into the hole. He moved his way through it with relative ease. It had expanded through years of decay and erosion from wind and sand. However, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. As Radarr emerged on the other side and turned to face it, he wasn't certain one way or the other if the hound would be able to follow.

Ah well... better safe than sorry. He should keep moving.

Radarr turned to face the building's interior, and was slightly overwhelmed by what he saw. It was much bigger than he anticipated, and a gigantic clutter of machinery, vents, wires, and boxes filled the room, turning it into a veritable obstacle course. However, despite all the mess and the powerful-looking equipment, it was actually surprisingly quiet.

Radarr looked about himself nervously, adrenaline still running through his system from the chase. Deciding that it didn't really matter which direction he took, he chose to turn left and kept low to the ground, moving slowly on all fours. Perhaps from some deeper instinct, Radarr crawled onto a large pipe rising above the floor, and moved along it, maintaining a bird's eye view of the floor-plan. There was other equipment that rose just as high, but Radarr felt safer up here rather than down in the dusty dark haze below.

But then, Radarr's ears perked up as he heard a rather uninvited noise. It was the sound of splintering wood, and the Storm Hawk turned his head towards the source.

It was the hound. It had fought its way through the hole after Radarr, and as it made its way through the last tight squeeze, its claws tore apart the floorboards in annoyance.

Radarr gulped nervously. He was _very_glad he had crawled up here. The pipe wasn't large enough to hold the weight of the hound, so it wouldn't be able to pursue if it spotted him. However, a sudden thought occurred to Radarr as he realized that while he may be out of the range of the hound itself, he may not necessarily be out of range of its fire.

But then, another sound boomed its way through the empty building. It was a loud metallic clang, and Radarr instinctively looked towards to source. It sounded like a door had slammed shut, but Radarr didn't look in time to pinpoint exactly where it came from. It sounded like it had come from the other side of the factory. Radarr strained to listen, but he couldn't tell if anyone had come or gone.

But Radarr didn't have time to speculate on the possibility of anyone else being inside the building, for at that moment he turned just in time to see the hound leap up at him. It had been silently stalking him, but thankfully, Radarr was just high enough to escape the large, sharp teeth.

However, the near miss was enough to seriously startle Radarr, and he bolted down the length of the pipe. He could hear the heavy paws of the hound beneath him as he ran. But then, Radarr was forced to come to a halt – the pipe took a vertical turn and extended into the ceiling. End of the line.

Radarr stood on his hind legs, grabbing the turn of the pipe for support. He looked down at the hound, circling below. Now what? The beast below had grown frighteningly still, and Radarr had the unpleasant feeling that it was preparing its throat for another fire.

But then, an even more unpleasant feeling grabbed a hold on Radarr. A lurch, to be more precise. The Storm Hawk looked to his left and discovered that the short vertical length of piper he was grasping a hold on was actually rusted through.

_The pipe was about to fall._

Radarr screeched, but he was too late, for another sudden lurch took hold as the last of the metal faltered under Radarr's weight, and drifted down directly towards the hound. It was all Radarr could do to leap off, and scurry away down the first route that presented itself. The hound turned its head and was about to bark in pursuit, when a clang informed Radarr (who was too frightened to look behind) that the creature had been hit by the falling pipe. Well... Radarr figured. It couldn't do anything to improve the hound's mood, but hopefully that bought him the distraction he needed to get away.

Unfortunately, that did not seem the case, as the hound (rather obviously) was in possession of a hound's nose. It picked up Radarr's trail quite easily, and lunged after the interesting prey.

Radarr panted hard as he ran. He didn't hear the heavy footfalls of the beast behind him, so chances were the thing didn't know exactly where Radarr was. He had hidden himself quite well amongst the various junk and machinery of the building, though he knew that an animal like that probably would not give up easily. Radarr rose to his hind legs and looked around. He needed a hiding spot... a _good _one...

There! There was a vent leading away from the various contraptions that encircled Radarr. The opening was just big enough for Radarr to sneak into and partially stand... but it was definitely too small for the large hound to enter. Taking care to keep as quiet as he could, Radarr crawled into the vent, hoping that it led away into some other, distant room, or at best, perhaps out of the building.

But that wasn't the case. As Radarr moved along the cold steel, he tried looking around to get an idea of where he was. It was very dark, but his senses alerted him that a large area opened up above him. Due to a distant light shining through in very weak and thin shafts, Radarr could just make out some pistons and gears leading up above him. Was he inside one of the factory's machines?

Suddenly, Radarr bumped into something and fell forwards. It was still hard to see, but Radarr felt a wet... something... beneath his feet. No, that wasn't right... it was more greasy than wet. Suddenly, a breeze echoed down the shaft and Radarr caught its scent. Was that... oil? Radarr stumbled backwards, being careful not to slip on the mess, when he bumped into what felt like more containers of oil, though some were sealed off. Radarr groaned in irritation as more of the substance found its way onto his already matted and stinky fur. He took a few more steps back the way he came, thinking about leaving, when all of a sudden, he heard a very unpleasant reminder of his situation.

Heavy paws fell right outside the vent.

The hound had tracked Radarr to the inside of the machine. Radarr looked back in a brief flutter of panic. He had almost forgotten about his pursuer. But that was alright... like he had made note of before, the shaft was too small to allow the hound access.

But then, a sound echoed from the end of the vent which sent a shiver down Radarr's spine. It was a mix between a howl and rushing wind. The hound was inhaling, getting ready to once again breathe its fire.

And Radarr was standing in a closed-in shaft.  
>Drenched in oil.<p>

Radarr squawked in alarm and jumped up into the gears and levers above him. He swung off pistons and pipes, climbing his way to the top, where he saw a grate seal off the inner workings. All he could do was hope it was rusted through just like everything else, yet he didn't have long to worry, for it was only seconds after the howl that the hound let loose with its fire. The flames quickly took hold of the oil in the shaft, roaring up into the machine. Radar looped and swung his way higher, the fire quickly gaining. Pressure was building inside the various instruments, and Radarr heard metallic stress resonating all around him. The flames were coming closer, some almost licking Radarr's tail. So close... the grate was right there...

Then, with a mighty bang, the sealed-off containers of oil exploded under the pressure. Radarr burst through the grate just as a massive fireball erupted from behind him. Radarr fell to the ground and panted harshly. Now _that_... was a close call. But he couldn't relax now. The hound was nowhere to be found, (probably either injured or fled from the backlash of the explosion) but the fireball belched from the machine was large enough to reach the ceiling. In fact, it looked like the force of the explosion had burst a hole straight through!

Radarr quickly rose to his feet and looked around. The flames were spreading... that blast was more serious than he had anticipated. He had to get out of here before the situation was really made impossible! However, fortunately the misadventure had led Radarr close to where he had originally entered the factory. It wasn't difficult to navigate back to the hole he had used to crawl inside.

Moving swiftly and fearfully, Radarr scurried away back to the forest and his awaiting skyride. He feared the trees might catch fire, but fortunately the forest seemed too far away to be in any serious danger.

Radarr found his rusty ride (though now it never looked more inviting) and hopped on, starting the engine instantly. Rising up above the trees, he breathed a final sigh of relief as he made his way away from the terra. All of that over some berries! But fortunately, he wasn't hurt. Things could have been a lot worse. And at least (as far as he could tell) the factory had been empty.


	9. Motives

**Minn: **_Woo! Look at this! Proper updates at last! And character development (somewhat). ^_^ This chapter ended up not at ALL being what I expected it to be, but I think it came out pretty snazzy all the same. Let me know what you think... dialogue tends to be a bit of a weak point with me. :)_

Chapter 8: Motives

It was a long flight. Too long... and not just because they flew in silence. Finn's head was clouded. He still wasn't really aware of what he had done... all he knew was that it was too late to go back now. He wasn't furious with Aerrow. True, he was still annoyed that the Sky Knight hadn't told him about his own suspicions, but their friendship was strong enough for Finn to understand, though he didn't really want to admit it.

It's just...

Finn looked at Dove. She had remained focused on flying (perhaps a little _too _focused) and hadn't made so much as eye contact with Finn let alone conversation. However, from what he could read from her face, it wasn't due to any anger or secret agenda. She simply just didn't know what to say.

Finn couldn't believe she was turned. It just... didn't feel right. True, there were still some unresolved questions, but there was something genuine about Dove. Family was important to the people of Gale. She wouldn't abandon her squad for any light reason.

...Though... circumstances were far from light.

Finn shifted his weight on the skimmer. It's funny... the memory of their first meeting came back to him as he did so. Offering her a ride... well... things change, don't they? Still, the silence was uncomfortable. Normally the sharpshooter would say something, _anything _funny or light-hearted to start conversation. However, for once, words actually failed him. He just... wasn't the type of person who fit in easily to this type of situation.

But of course, Finn being Finn, he was still going to try.

"So..." Finn hesitated, bringing one hand behind his head and trying to be casual, yet the expression on his face clearly showing his discomfort. (He was very glad Dove couldn't see it, sitting in the front). "Where exactly are we headed?"

Dove sighed softly and faced ahead. "I don't really know," she admitted. "I didn't really 'ave a plan."

"Well," Finn said, thinking on things. "I guess that makes two of us..."

More silence. Finn was getting restless.

"Why did you leave?" Dove asked. The suddenness of it took Finn off guard.

"What?" the sharpshooter checked, more from mild surprise than lack of hearing. However, Dove wasn't willing to repeat herself, and Finn knew he owed her an answer.

"I don't know..." he half mumbled. His anger long died down in the duration of their flight.

"Do you want to go back?" Dove asked it hollowly, but Finn knew she would turn around if he asked. However, he honestly didn't know what he wanted to do.

So he changed the subject.

"It that's the case, I could ask you the same thing."

Dove finally looked around and made eye contact briefly with Finn. She didn't answer right away. Frankly, she was amazed at his lack of tact.

"I mean, I'm not saying I'm against you leaving Gale or anything..." Finn stammered, fearing that he may have made Dove second-guess herself when she failed to answer. "I just mean... it must have hard, huh?" Finn trailed off at the end of his question. Dove smirked. Always talking before thinking... but there was something about that naïve openness that put Dove at ease.

"Yes," Dove said, though not quite so contemplative as before. "It was hard, but it was right."

Finn paused, for once actually taking time to think. "...Thanks."

Dove smiled. "It will work out. I 'ave to believe that. My family is safe right now. You..." Dove hesitated, searching for the right words. "You need help."

Finn laughed casually. "You don't need to tell me that."

Dove laughed as well. It was refreshing to have some relief from the heavy atmosphere, and she could also see that the anger in Finn had died down. "Do you really not want to go back?" she asked again.

Finn broke eye contact but returned a lop-sided smile all the same. "Nah..." he confessed. "I got mad at Aerrow for letting us split up. I'd have to be a pretty big jerk to do exactly what I blamed him for."

Dove smiled sadly.

"...But it didn't feel right just leaving you, either," Finn defended quickly.

Dove perked up slightly, listening attentively.

"Aerrow's just worried about the others." Finn continued. "And he's used to having someone or something to pin it on. He... doesn't want to do that with you. With any of them."

Dove didn't know what to say. That was a surprisingly deep analysis, coming from Finn.

"I know trust is a hard thing to gain once lost," Dove said. "But I had hoped... from before..."

Finn merely listened. Too much of this was too hard to put into words.

"I wasn't going to make ze same mistake twice," Dove denied.

Finn understood. "I'm sure Aerrow was just stressed," he said. "Why don't we both go back? I'm sure he'll listen..." But Finn didn't sound sure, and Dove wouldn't blame Aerrow for being suspicious...

"Maybe I'm better off on my own..." Dove mused. "I won't give help if it's not wanted, but I won't return to Gale. Not while knowing what zey are doing."

"But you _do _miss them..." Finn half asked from the back seat.

"Yes..." Dove trailed off sadly. "I do... though I did not tell them why I left. I thought it best zey did not know until..."

Finn nodded. He understood.

They flew in silence for a while after that.

"We should go back," Dove spontaneously conceded.

"You sure?" Finn questioned.

"Yes, after all, it isn't right for you to leave."

"Yeah, but..." Finn stammered. He _did _want to head back, but it wasn't fair to put Dove in that situation again. "You've risked a lot helping us. You need to think about yourself too, you know."

"It's alright," Dove reassured Finn, like her own concerns were of no importance. "It's fine."

Finn smiled. There was no way Dove could have turned.

But a shadow fell across that smile.

It was surprisingly quiet for a carrier ship. Both Finn and Dove were struck speechless as it loomed overhead, casting them in darkness.

"The _Skyquod_?" Finn voiced in disbelief. However, Dove was quicker on the uptake. Grabbing the controls firmly, she dove into the clouds below and out of sight.

"What're the Neck Deeps doing here?" Finn groaned.

"I don't know!" Dove called back as the wind from the dive pulled away her words. "Please, I didn't 'ave anything to do with zis!"

Finn paused in surprise as he realized that Dove was pleading with him. "Don't worry!" he reassured her. "I know you haven't turned!"

Dove smiled in relief, but there wasn't time for many words as they broke through the bottom layer of cloud. The Duck didn't know if anyone on board had seen her, but the wind was shifting, and the cloud layer was going to vanish soon. Already it was thinning, and the outline of the _Skyquod _was showing through.

"Hold on!" Dove called. Again she fell into a dive as she aimed the skimmer for a terra underneath them. It was small and wild-looking, but it was the only place to hide. Dove knew she wouldn't have a chance in the air. She was a good pilot, but she wouldn't be able to out-fly a whole squad. Besides, there was still a chance that the Neck Deeps hadn't noticed them.

They landed roughly and quickly, Finn peering up at the sky. The _Skyquod _remained overhead. Both Dove's and Finn's hearts sank as they saw skimmers being deployed.

"They must have seen my descent..." Dove lamented distantly.

Finn looked around, examining the terra. The ground was very uneven, and incredibly thick jungle rose around them. "What now?" he asked.

Dove joined the sharpshooter in checking out their options. "It's too thick for ze skimmer," Dove planned aloud. "Quick! Help me move it in 'ere!" Dove grabbed the front of the skimmer controls while still standing from the side, and Finn pushed the back. Together, they rolled the skyride into a patch of thick undergrowth almost waist high, hiding it from view.

"We can still lose zem," Dove said hopefully. "Get into the jungle!"

Finn led the way as the two stumbled into the trees. They didn't go far, for they still wanted to be able to survey the sky, which would be impossible from underneath the broad leaves of the trees overhead. Unfortunately, it seemed the Neck Deeps had spotted where Dove landed, for they aimed at the exact location where Finn and Dove lay crouched.

"We 'ave to evade zem," Dove whispered more from nerves than any practical purpose, for the Neck Deeps were far out of normal hearing range, though close enough to land within a minute. "Come on."

The two of them worked their way through the jungle, though it was a long and hard process. The uneven ground and incredibly dense underbrush did not give way easily. The thick rustling of the leaves and branches seemed to announce Finn and Dove's position rather than conceal it. Suddenly, Dove held out a hand, stopping Finn in his tracks and almost causing him to trip for the fourteenth time.

"What?" Finn whispered back in slightly annoyed tones. However, Dove merely shushed him, putting a finger to her lips and listening attentively.

Nothing. Light wind and birds. The tops of the trees whispering...

An audible crack of a branch, not twenty feet from where they stood.

"Zis way!" Dove gasped urgently. She grabbed Finn by the wrist and practically pulled him into a run. She was much more suited for evasion than he was.

They wove in and out of trees, Dove finding sure footing for their flight. The orange light of the failing sun was growing brighter as they moved into thinner jungle. They must be near the edge...

With a half-concealed scream of surprise, Dove stumbled into a halt. Looming from out of nowhere in front of her was a sheer drop. They had unwillingly cornered themselves against a cliff! Finn reached out with lightning-quick reflexes and pulled Dove away from the edge by grabbing hold of her arm. She turned around, panting harshly, her composure temporarily lost from the sudden shock of almost falling. Finn couldn't blame her. The drop looked treacherous.

Looking from side to side, Finn examined the form of the cliff. "Any chance we can go back?" he asked Dove. However, his question was soon answered as noise of approach could be heard from the jungle.

Dove's face slowly fell. The feeling sunk in as she realized there was no way out of this. All she could do was look back at Finn sadly with wide eyes. This was it. They were caught. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Finn just stared hollowly. No... this couldn't be right. Not so soon... not like this.

But looking at Dove... the inevitable sunk into the sharpshooter's mind as well.

The noises of the leaves and heavy footfalls grew louder. Finn may knew it was hopeless, but that wasn't about to stop him from still trying to find a way out. Slowly, both he and Dove backed against the cliff. For a panicked second, Finn's foot slipped, sending pebbles down into the chasm below. Now Finn was thinking at full capacity. There had to be a way out... but there wasn't. His eyes darted every which way. Something... _anything_.

But then, he felt a warm touch in his palm and found that Dove was holding his hand. She looked up at him, with a deep sorrow and apology in her eyes. _She tried_... that's what those eyes said. _I'm sorry... but I tried..._ But there was something else in that look as the Neck Deeps were seconds away from coming out of that jungle. There was a look of fear. Because what Dove said before was right. She hadn't told anyone about her mission. No one knew she was trying to violate the treaty. Until now. And who knew what would happen to her?

After all she tried to do for them...

Finn couldn't let that happen...

The Neck Deeps had appeared, slowly, yet unmistakably on unfriendly terms. However, it was in that one brief second of their appearance, right before anyone had a chance to say anything, that one small idea came to Finn.

And he did something incredibly stupid.

"I don't believe this!" he yelled, sounding exasperated and betrayed. Dove looked up at him with that sad smile, but then he returned the look with one of his own – one of continued betrayal and unbelief. At this, Dove's face fell. He... he didn't think she was turned, did he?

"And all this time I thought you were on my side!" he continued to accuse, turning even more to face Dove and pointing a finger at her. He put his back to the Neck Deeps, who were temporarily left without words at Finn's sudden and somewhat odd outburst.

Dove was about to protest, about to reason with Finn... show him that she _was _on his side. But then... the smallest sign. With his back to the squad, but still in sight of Dove, he gave her the smallest wink and a slight tilt of the head. He smiled, though his eyes weren't completely in it.

That's when Dove realized. He knew it was over. There was no way out. But that didn't mean _she _had to go down with him. Giving himself up to keep her safe...

But she couldn't say anything. She was touched.

"Pretending to be so nice to us..." Finn continued his act. "Yet all this time waiting to hand me in... ..._right_?"

"Y-Yes! That's right!" Dove stammered, still taken aback. "You're being detained by the Atmosian Alliance! Don't... think about trying to escape!"

"Not a chance," Finn replied back meaningfully. Smiling slightly as he broke his gaze with her, he abandoned his carefree expression to face the Neck Deeps who were now approaching the two.

A pair of Neck Deeps stepped forward. One grabbed hold of Finn's arms and pulled them behind his back, tying them together. Another came up beside him, grabbing a hold of one arm while the first held the other. "Hey, hey!" Finn complained as they shoved his head forward to urge him to walk. "Watch the hair! It's hard to get hair this good!"

Dove's eyebrows shot up. She just got an idea. "I'll help you with him," she spoke up at once, stepping up next to the Neck Deeps holding Finn. "He _is _my catch, after all."

One Neck Deep nodded and moved aside, allowing her to take hold of one of Finn's arms. They had already started walking toward the Neck Deep's skyrides when Finn felt something small being slipped into one of his hands. "Don't let zem see it," he heard Dove whisper in his ear, so softly that he almost didn't make it out. He gave the slightest of nods, barely perceivable. Then he heard one last whisper in his ear. "And… thanks."

* * *

><p>A short while later, Dove treaded down the hallway of the <em>Skyquod<em> carefully. She had seen where they had left Finn – it was one of the spare rooms aboard the ship, locked from the wrong side. She knew that the Neck Deeps trusted her, but nonetheless, she was careful not to be seen. If they realized what she was doing...

Dove pulled out the twin of the short-range radio she had given to Finn. As she held it in her hand, she turned back to the doors. Third from the end... this was it.

There was a full-length window beside the door, which allowed for anyone to see into the room. However for privacy reasons, a curtain was also draped across it on Finn's side. Dove once again checked the hallway to make sure no one was nearby, turned on her radio, and knocked on the window.

For a few moments there was no response, but then soundlessly, the curtain was pulled away. Finn's face appeared, and upon seeing Dove on the other side of the glass, he returned a small smile. Yet the sadness echoed in his eyes made Dove almost wish she could undo the lock on his door... yet both of them knew that doing so would be incredibly stupid. They would have no hope of successfully sneaking away with the entire squad of Neck Deeps on board.

Instead, Dove settled with pointing mutely to her radio. While it was only a window that separated them, Dove happened to know that the glass was soundproof. Finn caught on right away and switched his radio on.

"So..." Dove started talking into the radio, looking in at Finn. "Are you okay?"

Finn smirked. "Oh, yeah! Best I've been in a while. I'm having loads of fun." The sarcasm in his voice was clear, but it wasn't nasty or mean... just teasing. He was trying to make Dove feel better.

"Don't," Dove protested gently. "Please... just don't."

Finn paused, and his cocky smile faltered. "...Okay..."

There was a small pause. Dove shifted her weight uneasily. "Thank you... again..."

Finn tried smiling back, but there was only so far he could take it. "It was the least I could do."

"No," Dove tried comforting him. "It wasn't. Just... I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help."

"Don't apologize," Finn cut her off, this time dead serious. "You have _nothing _to be sorry for."

Dove was touched, but nonetheless she still hated the situation she found herself in. After some silence, she continued. "I..." but she was interrupted– footsteps could be heard around the corner of the hallway. "Get back!" Dove warned Finn in a whisper, gesturing for him to back away from the window as she concealed the radio in her pocket, still keeping it on.

It was Tritonn. He appeared from around the corner, while Dove merely shifted on the spot, a few feet away from Finn's door yet standing in front of the window, covering it slightly yet not indiscreetly so Tritonn wouldn't notice the pulled-back curtain.

"Dove?" The Sky Knight questioned as he approached the girl. "What are yeh doin' here?"

"Just... keeping watch." Dove stuttered a bit in her answer, but she met Tritonn's eye, which made it convincing.

Tritonn looked sad, yet he gazed at her piercingly. "Ya know, there's no chance—"

"I know," Dove blurted out, a little too tensely. "It's just..." Dove drifted off and looked away. Tritonn did the same. After all, it wasn't like he could pretend he didn't share similar sentiments.

While he was looking away, Dove took the opportunity to quickly glance back into Finn's room to make sure he was still listening over the radio. She could spy him sitting on the bed, the radio carefully concealed within his right hand which was lying casually on the mattress.

"Tritonn," Dove started, though still holding back a bit in intimidation. Though the Sky Knight was warm to those he chose, and he looked back at her with accepting eyes. "Um..." Dove stuttered again. "Can I ask you something?"

Tritonn looked curious but nodded all the same.

"Why..." Dove began, but then decided to phrase her wording better. "Did you ever think...? What if what we're doing...?" Dove was angry with herself. No matter what, she couldn't seem to get the words out.

But Tritonn understood. He placed a hand on her shoulder in what meant to be a comforting gesture. "Aye, Dove. It's hard," he agreed. "But it was the way things happened. There's nothing we could do about it."

"But..." Dove argued, though trying not to make it sound as such. "That's just it. The Council could have said no... couldn't zey?"

Tritonn shook his head sadly and yet slightly exasperated, as if he was talking to a young child. "You'll understand how these things work," he replied cryptically. "But no, Dove. They couldn't refuse."

So that was it. Just politics. "But..." Dove found herself gazing towards Finn's room unintentionally. "Zey're our friends. And the Cyclonians—"

"—apparently want the war to be over just as much as we do," Tritonn replied. "Look..." For once it was Knight who hesitated. He made like he was about to turn to Finn's room, but then thought better of it (or maybe worse?) and turned away. Dove examined him closely, but she couldn't make out what he was thinking. There was unquestionably remorse in his eyes... but there was also something deeper than that. It was a look of fear.

"The Storm Hawks helped Aquinos," Tritonn eventually stated, though the words seemed very hard for him to say. "I still respect 'em. I..." Tritonn stumbled a bit again, but Dove sensed that she knew what Tritonn meant to say: he owed them.

Tritonn looked to be at war with himself. Dove took a moment to wonder if all of the Sky Knights felt this way. Finally, the Neck Deep sighed and looked down at Dove. He had made up his mind. There was no point in holding back because none of them could be judged any worse.

"Truthfully, I'm not happy with this Dove," Tritonn confessed. "I doubt anyone is. Why Cyclonis wants 'em... that's anyone's guess. Pro'bly a last jab at the Alliance. She knows what the Storm Hawks have done for the fight. But there's not much choice. The Council couldn't very well refuse the chance for peace. And when the Council makes a decision... well... that's final, ain't it? Besides, a Sky Knight's duty is to bring peace to Atmos... regardless of the cost."

Dove listened to Tritonn and understood where he was coming from. Yet she couldn't help but wonder... After paying such a cost, could any of them feel at peace with themselves ever again?

"How do you know the treaty will bring peace?" Dove asked, turning to Tritonn, who looked ashamed of his guilt. "Tritonn, how do you know we can trust Cyclonis?"

Tritonn laughed bitterly at the thought of trusting the Cyclonians. "I don't. But the real question is, can we afford not to? We have our own terras to think about, Dove. Our own homes and families. You should know that more than anyone, and I'm assuming you do, based on why you left Gale."

Dove turned to Finn's door guiltily, not wanted to look Tritonn in the eye. "It didn't exactly turn out the way I expected..."

"Nah..." Tritonn agreed. "It never does. ...But Wren will be pleased. He was worried when you left. Ya never said..." But the Knight trailed off at the look on Dove's face. Tritonn was getting dangerously close to Dove's motives, and the ex-Duck decided not to say anything. However, Tritonn had enough sense and sympathy not to push a matter that looked private, and he wasn't in any position to pursue the question of conscience.

"I just 'ave a feeling..." Dove muttered distantly, yet still loud enough for both Tritonn and Finn to hear, the sharpshooter still keeping to himself yet listening in. "Something bad is going to happen. Tritonn... what if Cyclonis breaks the treaty? It will all be for nothing."

"Rest assured, Dove," Tritonn replied, putting a comforting hand on Dove's shoulder. "We'll be sure to keep an eye on those Cyclonians once the treaty is signed. But the real promise behind all of this is if they keep to the deal; it will be the first peace Atmos will have in over a decade."

Dove bowed her head. She couldn't blame Tritonn. She knew that for a lot of people, it was the right decision.

"It makes me sick..." Dove admitted. "To think of our friends as expendable."

Tritonn looked hard at Dove. "A lot of people probably think so," Tritonn admitted. "But I never had anything but respect for the Storm Hawks. Aerrow had a good squad behind him." Dove squirmed where she stood. A cold shiver ran up her spine at the past tense. "However," Tritonn continued. "Despite all his courage, I don't think he can evade the inevitable much longer."

Dove's attention was caught by these words, and from the corner of her eye she could see Finn listening intensely. "You mean..." Dove asked. "Aerrow is still out there?"

"Aye," Tritonn responded, unable to hide the slight gleam in his eye, yet it echoed back sadness at the circumstances ever present in his mind. "He and Radarr are the last to be found."

"So..." Dove trailed off, her momentary optimism fading. "All the others have been..."

"Aye," Tritonn confirmed again. "Brought to Cyclonia Tower. I don't know the details of how it happened, but from what I heard, they're generally alright."

Dove fought back a sudden turn in her stomach. 'Generally'? Her hands unconsciously clenched at her sides. "Tritonn, tell me!" Dove suddenly pleaded. "What is going to happen to the Storm Hawks?"

This disturbed the Sky Knight like nothing else. He backed away slightly from Dove, as if she had murmured some forbidden taboo. "I..." Tritonn stuttered. "I don't know."

"Yes you do!" Dove accused, feeling close to tears. "All of Atmos knows, don't they? I..." But she couldn't continue. She had already said too much. Tritonn sensed as much.

Tritonn approached Dove again and patted her on the shoulder. "Last I heard..." he said gently, "they were just being held in Cyclonia Tower. Just that. Nothing more. Cyclonis is..." It made Tritonn sick to say this as if it was a good piece of news, but it was better than the alternative. "Cyclonis is waiting for them all. As soon as the treaty is signed..."

Dove looked up at Tritonn, water in her eyes. "So that's it, then? She's making us wait until it's over?"

Tritonn didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Dove scowled in hatred for Cyclonis at the pain she was putting Atmos through... but on the other hand, she had placed Atmos in pain for every day ever since the war began. Pain of loved ones lost... pain of homes ruined... but the promise of peace...

Dove sniffed. Tritonn seemed to realize that Dove was aware of the real situation now. They didn't turn by choice.

"Tritonn," Dove asked, wiping her face with the back of her hand, embarrassed. "I'm not going to pretend... just... You know this isn't right. Our friends... they have freewill. It's _their _choice to make. And let's be realistic; if Cyclonis breaks the treaty, Atmosia will have nothing to stop her. In fact..." Dove hesitated, the very thought of it turning her pale. "They'll be at a loss."

Tritonn looked around to make sure no one else was nearby. "Aye, Dove," he conceded. "But the truth is, people out there are much weaker than some would like to believe. There is no _good _and _evil_. Black and white do not exist... it's just grey. And the temptation... there's a different motive for each one of them. I..." Tritonn stumbled with his words again. "I had thought that my weakness was behind me... but look at me now. Still the coward."

"Tritonn, please," Dove begged again. "Don't do this. We can find another way. The war won't stop just by giving in to demands. Fine, people may not be perfect, but you can't seriously believe that they're just as bad as Cyclonis!"

"You have not fought in the war!" Tritonn suddenly corrected her with vehemence. "You've defended Gale, but you have never invaded... never been on the front lines. You weren't there when the great battle took place! You think Cyclonians are the only ones who have ever killed a soldier on the other side? This is a _war_. It takes two to fight. But now the fighting must stop!"

Dove could only stand there, shaking. She had never seen Tritonn angry before. The Sky Knight realized he had lost his temper and sighed. "I'm sorry, Dove," he said. "I'm sorry... but it just has to be this way."

Dove stayed silent, looking in at Finn, but he had turned away. The talk he had been listening to gave him a lot to think about...

"So what now?" Dove asked, turning her gaze back to Tritonn, who looked exhausted, in every sense of the word. Tritonn met her gaze, knowing what she meant; it had been apparent a long time ago that she had not, in fact, turned in Finn.

"What were yeh goin' to do?" Tritonn asked.

Dove paused, thinking on her answer. "I'm not sure I should tell you."

Tritonn looked pleased, but there was still that ever-present sadness in his eyes. "Good. Keep it that way. I'm not goin' to tell anyone. All of us have enough problems as it is."

Dove sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you, Tritonn."

"Just don't let anyone else know," Tritonn said, as he turned to leave. "I... sympathize with the circumstances, but few people are remaining who share my feelings. Not everyone is as close to the Storm Hawks, and most have clouded their thoughts, too guilty or tempted to let any part of them hold back. They truly believe that this is right. Remember that."

A shiver passed through Dove at the thought of some people being so easily swayed, but she nodded all the same. "I will."

Tritonn smiled, this time a small portion of it finally reaching through his gaze. As he turned around the corner of the hallway and moved out of sight, Finn continued to sit on the bed, thinking. The sharpshooter muttered something, not loud enough for Dove to hear.

"I guess now we know why..."


	10. Fallen

Chapter 9: Fallen

Things weren't looking up. Then again, they could be a lot worse. Sure Radarr was tired, hungry, stinky, and his fur was unbelievably matted and ratty, but overall he hadn't undergone any serious harm. It was just that Radarr had no idea of where he was really headed. He had been jumping from terra to terra lately without making any real progress... Just a stop here and there to maybe scavenge something to eat or risking a populated terra to try and sniff out news. Yet nothing came of any such stop. Radarr had abandoned his earlier thought of returning to Saharr because he knew that Aerrow and Finn would have discovered his disappearance quite a while ago, and had probably left... that is... if nothing worse had befallen them.

Radarr gave a small moan as he flew above the clouds. He always preferred flying high so as to have a bird's-eye view of everything. Plus, two separate layers of clouds bank swirled underneath him, giving him plenty of cover from terras underneath. But as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, Radarr knew he should probably descend and seek out a place to land for the night. In truth, he was mostly just wasting his fuel, and there wasn't a whole lot to spare. The sky was growing dark, and Radarr didn't like the idea of flying alone at night, despite the full moon slowly rising from beneath the clouds.

Radarr rumbled a sigh in his throat as he turned to descend, when from a faint distance, he heard an entirely different kind of rumble.

More like a roar...  
>Radarr turned his head towards the sound and screeched at the sight.<p>

It was a sky shark. It had loomed out of the clouds from a distance and had narrowed its gaze on Radarr. The Storm Hawk wasted no time in giving the skyride an extra burst of speed, but the run-down engine wasn't strong enough to out-fly the shark. It was steadily gaining, teeth gnashing hungrily. Radarr whimpered in fright. Why did it seem like everything always wanted to eat him? Quickly, he put to use some of the techniques that came with being a co-pilot to a Sky Knight.

Radarr pulled back in a half-loop, flipping halfway left to try and shake off the shark. However, though briefly confused, the shark wouldn't be so easily distracted from his prey. Radarr growled and tried another manoeuvre, though that failed as well. The sky shark was still gaining. Radarr decided to feint to the side and pull back, but it turned out of be a huge mistake. The shark's instincts guided him towards his target, and the creature collided head-on with the skimmer. Radarr screeched as the huge, pointed teeth came within inches of his fur. Radarr bolted, giving the skyride another burst of speed. However, the collision did some damage, and the already decrepit vehicle wasn't going to hold up against such strain. Radarr looked about himself frantically, trying to come up with something in the mere seconds he had at hand while the sky shark shook its head, angered and slightly disoriented at the collision.

Suddenly, Radarr spotted something... a wrench. Radarr grasped it in his paw and thought hard.

Well... it had helped him multiple times in the past...

Radarr swivelled in his seat, looking straight at the beast, which had resumed its pursuit. Radarr narrowed his eyes in concentration. It was now or never. He only had one shot.

Timing his attack carefully, Radarr threw the wrench at the shark.

Bull's-eye! It hit the sky shark right in the left eye. Letting out with a sharp roar, the shark swayed and thrashed in the air at the temporary half-blindness. Taking his opportunity, Radarr closed in fast and punched the shark on the nose as hard as he could, confusing its senses. The sky shark howled pathetically as it gave up the fight and dove down towards the first cloud layer below. Radarr watched its descent, breathing quickly and smiling in relief (and perhaps some disbelief) of what he had just done. However, this turned out to be a mistake, because – not watching where he was going – Radarr crashed his skimmer directly into the stern of a ship.

The old metal crippled like tinfoil against the reinforced hull, and in instinctual panic, it was all Radarr could do to leap off his ride onto one of the rear engines. Turning around sharply with wide eyes and panting heavily, Radarr looked on as his repaired skimmer (not so much repaired any longer) fell beneath the clouds. Breathing a premature sigh of relief, Radarr relaxed slightly as he affirmed that there was indeed a solid surface beneath his feet. However, he couldn't stay here long – the night wind was beginning to grow cold and quite fierce. Holding up a paw to block the breeze from his face, yet still holding onto the engine with his three other paws, Radarr looked around to try and determine if there was any way onboard. The sky was pure black now, but by the dim light of the moon, Radarr could see an opening in the hull above him. The long stretch of metal connecting the engine with the rest of the ship merged into the inner workings.

Smiling and chirping slightly in anticipation, Radarr carefully scaled his way along the beam and squirmed his way into the ship. It looked like he had finally gotten a lucky break.

Little did he know he had just boarded the Blood Crow.

* * *

><p>Feeling like he had just woken up from a long sleep, Aerrow looked around himself. It was dark and hollow. Yeah... that was the perfect way to describe it... <em>hollow<em>. Just... a large empty space. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was there. You had to be present to think, right?

A large light suddenly shone down from above, aiming its beam directly on the Sky Knight. Aerrow winked up at it, lifting a hand to block the harsh rays. However, as he did so, a metallic clinking noise echoed loudly through the room which made his blood run cold.

He was chained.

There were four long chains each fastened around his wrists and ankles. Aerrow moved about in quick jerks, adrenaline suddenly flooding his system. What... How...? He traced the links to their source which was a large stake hammered into the concrete floor beneath him. From a deep instinct, Aerrow gripped it with his hands and tried to pull it from the ground, even though he knew the attempt was fruitless. After a good few tugs, Aerrow abandoned the effort, panting hard. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, which glimmered weakly from the light overhead. What...? This didn't make any sense.

The rest of the room was still very black. Aerrow tried squinting to get a better view of his surroundings, but there was nothing. Where was he? Why was everything silent? Then, some sixth sense kicked in, and Aerrow turned around sharply.

Someone was standing behind him.

At first Aerrow couldn't make out who it was – they weren't standing close enough to the light. But as they moved into view, Aerrow discovered that it wasn't just the two of them standing there. There were more figures present who were slowly moving towards the light, yet not entering it entirely. They just moved in close enough so that Aerrow could dimly make out their features. Aerrow swivelled on the spot, greeted by new faces everywhere he looked. They were all around him now. All of them.

All of the squadrons.

They just stood there. No one said anything or made any movements. They just looked down at Aerrow, cold and indifferent. Their faces were completely blank. And Aerrow didn't know why, but he began to panic. His friends (for he could never truly think of them in any other way) were making him panic.

But wait...  
>There was one squad missing...<p>

Where were the Storm Hawks? Where was his team? Aerrow searched the faces, cold and unmoving as stone. They were just a blur – obstacles to what really mattered. Aerrow turned about, searching.

There.

It was Finn. Finn was in the crowd. Aerrow couldn't see anyone else from his team, but just having at least one companion standing there filled him with relief. Aerrow laughed shakily and fell to his knees in sudden exhaustion, the chains clinking sinisterly. "Finn," he breathed, a timid smile on his face.

But Finn didn't smile. He looked like all the others. He just stared hollowly back at Aerrow, no expression on his face. The light shining down on Aerrow never found its reflection in Finn's eyes.

"No..." Aerrow muttered, panic slowly filling him again. "No... Finn...!"

But the body of Dove stood beside the wingman. Continuing to stare, and not moving her face by an inch, she raised a ghostly hand and placed it on Finn's shoulder. The light began to flicker.

"Finn! Wait!"

Slowly and smoothly, Finn and Dove revolved on the spot, turning away from Aerrow as the other faces closed in. Fully panicking as the light failed, Aerrow yelled. "FINN! NO! FINN!"

"FINN!"

* * *

><p>Aerrow bolted upright in a cold sweat. What...?<p>

Leftover adrenaline quickly died away as Aerrow sat and looked around himself. He had left the clearing. He was sitting on a rocky ridge a few feet away from the edge of the terra. But... why was he there again? Still vaguely haunted by the nightmare, Aerrow shook his head and tried to focus. Finn had flown off. Aerrow was still on the terra because he didn't know what to do next. He tried calling the _Condor _again, but there was nothing. But... didn't he make another call?

Aerrow straightened up and looked out at the clouds before him with wide eyes. The sky was getting dark, though there was some pink and orange on the horizon where the last of the sun was still hanging. Right. He didn't know what to do so he called the only person he could turn to for guidance. Harrier. But there was a delay in the signal... he couldn't get here right away. Be patient. So he walked out here to wait.

Aerrow's thoughts were still a bit jumbled, and he gave his head another shake as he rose to his feet. What was wrong with him? Well... that was easy enough to answer. He couldn't remember the last time he ate something... and running from place to place was sure to tire out anybody. Aerrow took a deep breath and looked out at the sky. Still... he had done a lot of running in the past. Nothing had ever tired him out like this. Well... that was understandable.

But now that the fresh air moving along the cliffs had cleared Aerrow's head, he looked around himself, puzzled. He _did _remember calling Harrier, but then why wasn't the knight here already? Had something delayed him? Or maybe Aerrow really hadn't been out for all that long. After all, if he recalled correctly, the sun was already growing low when Finn had...

Aerrow breathed out sharply, interrupting his thoughts. He wouldn't dwell on that. Not until he had his own course of action sorted. But... being the person he was, Aerrow couldn't convincingly make himself believe that.

But then, there was the sound of an engine through the trees. Aerrow turned sharply, but then relaxed at the thought that it was probably Harrier. Aerrow took a few steps towards the noise, but then paused as his sharp senses picked up on something important.

There was more than one engine rumbling in those woods.

Aerrow swivelled on the spot and ducked behind a tree. Stupid! How could he have made such an obvious mistake? Leaving his skimmer behind in the clearing... stupid, stupid! Aerrow looked around, his mind racing but too tired to really be working properly. Maybe... Harrier had brought the Guardians with him? No, he said he was going to come alone. But that wasn't important. Who was in there? No, it didn't matter. They were all the same, and the cover of darkness wasn't going to help...

Aerrow just remained crouched, debating on what to do. His breathing had become ragged, and he had broken into a cold sweat again. He looked down at his hand draped across his bent knees. It was... shaking? Aerrow raised it to his face unbelievingly. All he could do was stare.

But then a clear gust of wind blew over the terra again as the darkness descended, and Aerrow tightened his fist. No. He had to get a hold of himself.

But there were still people in the forest. Was he willing to take the risk? Right now it looked like he didn't have a choice. Aerrow poked his head out from behind the tree. The sounds of the skimmers were distant, but still clear enough to be made out. Aerrow tried to do some calculations in his head. He wouldn't be able to see them clearly... but they wouldn't be able to see him either. The real variable was whether or not they had come across his skimmer in the clearing. If that were the case, he could really be in trouble.

Reaching with one hand, Aerrow grabbed the hilt of one of his swords, reassuring himself it was still on his back. Well... if worse came to worse... he would just have to be lucky.

But then another option descended from the sky. Harrier had come. Aerrow turned as he heard the skimmer flying down behind him and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

"Harrier," Aerrow gasped. "Man, am I glad to see you."

"Likewise," Harrier responded, though he looked a little flustered. Aerrow couldn't blame him – Harrier had probably seen the other squad descend from a distance. "Do you have your skimmer?"

"No," Aerrow said, still feeling embarrassed at his mistake. "I left it in the middle of the terra."

"Leave it for now," Harrier replied. "It's best we get you out of here as fast as we can."

Harrier seemed to sense the danger at hand, so Aerrow nodded and hopped onto the back of Harrier's skyride. The seat was significantly smaller than that of his own, so Aerrow had to face backwards to make room for the two passengers. Without a wasted second, Harrier took off, careful to be discreet so as to not alert the squadron searching down below.

"I'm glad you made it," Aerrow said, though his words not sounding as relieved as he intended them to be. "There's so much I need to talk to you about."

"And I you," Harrier replied. "But perhaps we should save it for when we land."

Aerrow nodded, but then realizing Harrier couldn't see him with his back turned, agreed aloud. "Yeah." The Sky Knight watched as they flew away from the terra, leaving his skimmer behind. What if Finn tried to return? What would he find? Aerrow didn't know why, but as the terra grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Aerrow had the nagging feeling that he was leaving something important behind.

* * *

><p>"So," Harrier suddenly spoke, snapping Aerrow to consciousness. He hadn't realized that he had drifted off again. What was wrong with him? Aerrow brought a hand to his face and shook his head slightly. They were still flying, and a small sliver of deep purple could still be seen mixing with the black on the horizon. He couldn't have been out for too long. In fact, Aerrow doubted he would ever get a truly restful sleep ever again.<p>

"Sorry?" Aerrow asked, feeling like he had missed a question Harrier had asked him.

"Do you know where your other squadron members are?" Harrier repeated.

Aerrow looked down at the clouds, a self-loathing smile playing its way across his face. "No," Aerrow responded flatly. "In fact... I was hoping you could tell me."

A silence fell after that. Aerrow had the feeling that Harrier wanted to save the discussion for later. It was hard to talk while flying in their position. Aerrow could hear Harrier alright, but the Storm Hawk suspected the wind blew away his own words. But there was so much running through his mind... Aerrow found it hard to stay quiet.

"I never thought..." Aerrow began, though Harrier remained focused on flying. "I never thought they would all turn. I mean... I suppose I understand their view on things. It's just..."

"You wonder why they betrayed you?" So Harrier was listening.

"No," Aerrow denied, though the difficulty in his voice was clear. "I just wonder... If it was another squad... not the Storm Hawks... would I do the same thing?"

There was a long silence after that. Aerrow thought Harrier might have denied Aerrow's worries and tried to reassure him that it was foolish to think that way. But he didn't, because truthfully, neither one could guarantee that.

"Some people can be blind," Harrier stated simply.

"I can't blame them." Aerrow countered. "I can be hurt by it, but I can't blame them."

"Actually..." Harrier drew out, "I was referring to you."

At this Aerrow tensed. What did Harrier mean by that? A small spur of adrenaline made Aerrow more aware of his surroundings, and he looked down at the glimpses of terras below, only just visible through the cloud cover.

"Harrier..." Aerrow said carefully. "This isn't the way to Terra Rex."

"No," Harrier's voice carried back coldly. "It isn't."

Thinking hard and without drawing attention to himself, Aerrow reached behind his back, searching for his twin blades.

They were gone, and so was his glider.

He was trapped.

"I'm sorry," Harrier said, not the least bit of remorse in his voice, and still keeping his eyes ahead of him. Aerrow's breathing sped up, the shock of Harrier's betrayal working its way through his system. "This has gone on for too long."

Aerrow scanned the clouds, reflexively looking for an escape. There was none. "When?" Aerrow asked. "When did you turn?" There were no accusations in his voice, only the shock of being betrayed.

"It wasn't easy," Harrier explained blankly and in a matter-of-fact way. "Leading you in the right direction. I had to make sure you would still come to the Guardians if Latebra failed... which it did. Although I have to say, it was helpful when the Rebel Ducks turned. I didn't expect them to give in so easily, and it was most successful in diverting your attention."

Aerrow could only listen in silent fury. The whole time... Harrier had been turned since the beginning. The question was, who else had gone to him for help like he had?

"Who else?" Aerrow asked darkly.

"Sorry?" Harrier questioned, not following Aerrow's train of thought.

"Who else from my team have you taken, Harrier?" Aerrow practically shouted the question to the back of the other Knight. For a moment Aerrow thought he might snap and resort to fighting with or without weapons, but the rational part of his thoughts was successful in holding him back, knowing that the attempt would fail against his armed opponent.

Although Aerrow couldn't see it, a faint smile flickered its way onto the side of Harrier's mouth. "It was difficult tracking the others down. We did not anticipate that you would separate. Yet we were eventually successful in finding the other half of your squadron. Though granted the fire was an unexpected occurrence we ...well... You don't need to know about that."

Aerrow felt like he was going to be sick. The other half of his squad? Did that mean Piper, Junko and Stork? Were they even alright? What about a fire? And what about the other two members of his team? Did Harrier not know anything about Finn and Radarr?

"Harrier..." Aerrow tried to reason, the revulsion at the other Knight's words temporarily taming Aerrow's anger. "Listen to yourself. Do you even realize what you're saying? This is the Cyclonians we're talking about. You of all people should know they can't be trusted!"

"This is a completely different situation!" Harrier denied. "This isn't just some man's word in the middle of a battlefield! This is a formal agreement, arranged by the leaders of both sides and guaranteed to affirm peace. Why make a deal and intend to betray it if you have nothing to gain? One man may betray his honour but not a complete nation."

"You're still talking about honour?" Aerrow yelled, furious at how blind Harrier could be. "Is betraying your friends the honourable thing to do?"

"If betraying one means saving the lives of many, then yes!" Aerrow could hear that Harrier was beginning to lose his temper. "Need I remind you... it is a Sky Knight's sworn oath to protect Atmos at any cost."

At this, Aerrow faltered for a second. Because that was the one point that had bothered him ever since all of this began. If the treaty was just that... and nothing more... it was his duty to see it through.  
>But he couldn't. It was the Cyclonians. He <em>had<em> to make sure...

"There's a difference between risking your life for a noble cause and just throwing it away," Aerrow reasoned.

"Does peace mean so little to you? Are you so selfish that you value your own life more than countless others?"

"No!" Aerrow denied vehemently. "It's nothing like that! Just I'm not going to take a risk if I know that it will be for nothing!"

"The law is not nothing!" Harrier spat. "Do you think the Atmosian Alliance completely incapable? We have means of enforcing the treaty! We monitor the activity of the Cyclonians! We protect our land through organization and rules! While some squadrons may be content running from one place to another, we take on the responsibilities that come with protecting those who need protection!"

Aerrow narrowed his eyes and felt the urge to once again attack Harrier regardless of circumstances. "So that's all the Storm Hawks are," Aerrow questioned mockingly. "A bargaining chip. No real value to us, is that right?"

Harrier was in the middle of a reply when Aerrow suddenly noticed a shadow looming from the cloud cover overhead, closing in fast.

"Harrier, look out!" Aerrow called. The Rex Guardian turned just in time to see a sky shark descend from above, teeth gnashing in an angry grimace. Harrier swerved out of the way, but the sky shark circled back around and made another dash for the skyride, having found a new target. Harrier shot a pair of bolts at the beast, but the sky shark weaved around them and made a straight line for its prey. Harrier looped around the second charge, but it was in the middle of the manoeuvre that Aerrow suddenly felt his footing slip.

He lost his grip.

And fell.

For a moment, a lurching fear took a hold of Aerrow, but then he hastily remembered that Harrier was still piloting the skimmer. Aerrow turned around in mid-air, but his heart sunk at what he saw.

The sky shark was still pursuing Harrier relentlessly, not giving him a chance to change course.

Harrier couldn't fly back around for Aerrow.

He was in free-fall.

In a blind panic, Aerrow shouted, face towards the night sky, as he disappeared into the clouds below.

* * *

><p><strong>Minn: <strong>_ABKDAKBV! *flails* I'm so freaking excited to know what you peeps think! If you review ANY chapter of this fic, LET IT BE THIS ONE. Did you see it coming? Was it completely predictable? Did you have no idea? Was it nicely done? Was it cliché? TELL ME! This is the scene that MADE this fic!_

**Wolf: **_OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG! IT'S THE BETRAYAL SCENE! …Nuff said._

_**See that link right there? **__**CLICK**_** IT  
><strong>**|  
>v<strong>**  
><strong>


	11. Aid

**Minn: **_First of all, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you lovely people who reviewed the last chapter! Wolf and I got a fantastic amount of reviews. BIG VIRTUAL HUGS for all of you lovely, lovely readers. You people really gave me the energy to keep on going with this fic and the plethora of results let me know where to take this with my writing and what to look out for. A couple more chapters until the halfway point (I really don't know the exact number) but I'm enjoying every bit of this. :D  
>Secondly, sorry there was a bit of a wait... what can I say? Season 2 of Sherlock is now finished and we all know that means fanvids a plenty. Also... guess what? I GOT A TABLET! Deviantart, prepare for a boom in Storm Hawks and Sherlock fanart.<em>

_So yes... basically I've been very distracted from this fic... but can you really blame me? :3_

_I'd also like to say sorry that this chapter is a bit short... but the next couple of chapters might end up being a bit longer than normal, so it might take more time to get them written up. But at least it's something to look forward to..._

Chapter 10: Aid

It was a long time until he woke up, and when he did, it was to be greeted feebly by the soft sound of gentle crackling. And yet, even with that gentle reminder of reality, he still had not realized he was awake. His eyes remained shut, though his breathing had sped up slightly. But the sound was persistent, and as he slowly came to, it grew in volume and became noticeably clearer.

Aerrow opened his eyes.

Everything was fuzzy, and he still wasn't thinking clearly, but as he laid where he was (what was he even lying on?) some primary instinct alerted him that he had been sleeping for quite a while. For once, he actually felt well-rested.

The setting around him began to clear, along with his thoughts. He was lying on his back – he identified that much – and he seemed to be inside some kind of wooden room; panelling lined the walls and ceiling. Turning his attention towards himself, Aerrow took note that he was actually lying on a couch, with a light blanket draped over him. He wasn't willing just yet to try and piece together how this came to be, so instead he turned his gaze towards the source of the crackling noise.

It was a fire. Just a small one, burning happily in the hearth opposite him. It filled the room with warmth and dim, incandescent light which gave the place a very comforting atmosphere. Another spark popped and crackled as Aerrow examined the fire from where he laid. Slowly, the Sky Knight sat up and took in the rest of his surroundings. His strength was almost completely reclaimed now, and needless to say, he was extremely curious as to how he got here... and even where 'here' was.

Like he suspected, the room seemed to be mostly built out of wood, though there was a small rug placed in the center of the floor along with a table and a couple of chairs to give the place a bit more character. Various paraphernalia filled the shelves on the walls. There were papers, books, spare parts, a couple of stray crystals. Yet as Aerrow continued examining his surrounds he realized that there seemed to be an order to the madness. Cluttered... yet carefully organized. With a melancholy thought, Aerrow felt that the place reminded him a little of his old home on Neverlandis.

Now feeling an absolute thirst for answers, Aerrow looked for a means of pursuing them. There wasn't a window in the room, but two doors on opposite walls lead out to what promised to be more of the ... would you call it a house? Well... wherever he was.

Aerrow was just giving consideration to exiting through the door closest to him, when the other one opened. The Storm Hawk tensed at who might come through, but fortunately, it was the one person left whom he felt he could trust.

"Starling."

The Interceptor smiled as she saw the expression of relief on Aerrow's face. "Good," she said briefly yet not without compassion. "You're awake."

"What happened?" Aerrow immediately asked, moving his legs over the side of the couch and placing the blanket aside as Starling pulled up a chair in front of him.

"First you should eat something," Starling said, offering Aerrow a tray with a bowl of soup on top of it along with some bread. "From how long you were asleep, I'm guessing you need to get back some of your energy."

"How long _was_I asleep?" Aerrow asked nervously, placing the tray on his lap and grabbing the piece of bread to start.

"Not too long," Starling reassured him. "Most of the morning is gone, but that's understandable. Really it was solidness with which you were sleeping that concerned me. You were out the entire flight back."

Starling's partial anecdote reminded Aerrow that he still had multiple questions for her. "So what did happen?" Aerrow asked resolutely. "Where am I?"

Starling smiled slightly at the Sky Knight's persistence. "Some place safe," she said, leaning back in her chair, relaxed. From the casual way she was conducting herself, Aerrow wondered idly if this was in fact the place Starling normally resided while not out on missions. The clutter on the shelves seemed to testify to that theory.

"And it's alright for me to be here?" Aerrow questioned perhaps a little timidly. Though the place was modest, Aerrow couldn't help but feel he was encroaching on something private and intimate to Starling.

"Absolutely," Starling replied sincerely. It was obvious form her openness that she remembered well enough that Aerrow offered to share his home with her too, not so long ago. "I've never told anyone about this place, or let them follow me..." At this, the Interceptor inserted a knowing wink. "So I can absolutely guarantee we'll be fine here. I come here to disappear. It's not even on any of the maps... just a small terra in the middle of nowhere. And this place itself is hidden, too. The building can't be seen from the sky."

Aerrow nodded, impressed with how thorough Starling was. Yet he still didn't know the whole story. As he finished off the last of the bread, he turned to meet Starling's gaze head-on, solemn at the impending seriousness of their conversation. "What happened, Starling?" Aerrow questioned, seeking a detailed answer. "How did you find me?"

Starling's manner also became more grave, though it seemed natural for her. "It hasn't been easy," Starling began. "But I'm sure you know that better than anyone. Although, my situation was slightly different... I have a high status with the council, and naturally when they came to their decision, I knew it was time to vanish. More than one Sky Knight has been pressured into this..."

"Politics," Aerrow remarked dryly, to which Starling gave a knowing nod.

"Politics," she agreed. "Yet the situation could grow to hold more dire consequences if opposition was brought to light. I intend to stick beside your squadron no matter the cost, though I knew that if my stance was made clear to the council, I might find myself without certain... liberties. Either way, I figured I could be of more aid if I kept out of the way."

Aerrow looked like he could understand Starling's actions if not entirely agree, though Starling was far from done explaining.

"I haven't been idle," she clarified. "At first I tried listening in on the different radio signals to get information... but I found they were being monitored, by more than one source nonetheless. Not willing to expose myself, I stayed off the channels, even though I knew it possible that you might try to contact me."

Aerrow nodded. It was the cautious thing to do. "So I resorted to tracking down your team on foot," Starling continued. "I have to say, you're rather good at hiding."

Aerrow laughed darkly. "I wouldn't have thought so," he protested coldly. "It seemed like we did nothing but run into trouble."

"On the contrary," Starling argued gently. "It's impressive you lasted this long. Regardless, I finally caught up to you when you had hitched a ride with Harrier. I was following him, and knew something was wrong when I saw you go with him. However, unsure of how the situation would turn out if I confronted him directly, I decided that the best idea would to simply follow you. It's a lucky thing I did, because from my concealed position beneath the cloud cover, I was able to catch you after you fell. Which reminds me..."

Starling paused her story for a moment as she rose from her chair and walked towards a large cupboard standing in front of the opposite wall. Aerrow tried to look around her to see what she was retrieving, but his curiosity was answered soon enough as Starling returned, two twin blades in her hands.

"What?" Aerrow asked happily, as he took his weapons from her. "How?..."

"They fell along with you from Harrier's skimmer," Starling replied with a small smirk, secretly pleased at the joyous relief on Aerrow's face. "I guess he didn't bother stashing them somewhere secure."

Aerrow's temporary happiness was instantly depleted when Harrier's name was mentioned again. "Why were you following him?"

Starling hesitated a bit, obviously reluctant to approach a certain subject that was drawing close. However, she answered all the same. "I had received news that he was the one responsible for the capture of some of your teammates."

Aerrow rose to his feet in a flash, almost knocking over the side table as he did so. "Who?" he demanded from Starling. "What happened? Are they alright?"

"Take it easy!" Starling ordered calmly. "You'll hear everything you need to know, just calm down."

Aerrow took a deep breath and sat back on the couch, but he remained tense and clearly agitated.

"I regret to be the one to tell you this," Starling said slowly and sadly, hoping that Aerrow would keep a level head. "But three of your squad have been taken to Cyclonia."

"Who?" Aerrow asked it quietly, but the tension and passion that resonated behind that one word spoke loudly enough.

"Stork, Junko and Piper."

Aerrow sighed and looked away briefly, letting the news sink in. So what Harrier said was true. An entire half of his team... he had failed them. While Aerrow's gaze was diverted, Starling let the youth take his moment of silence and eyed him with empathy. She knew what it was to lose fellow teammates.

"Any news of Finn or Radarr?"

"Nothing I've heard." Starling was prompt with her response, and Aerrow spoke in clipped tones.

Aerrow breathed a sigh as he shook his head briefly, trying to adjust. "What happened, Starling? How were they found?"

Starling once again looked uneasy, but knew she owed the Knight any answer she could give. "I think your squad may have actually been looking for me," Starling confessed. "They were found on Terra Mesa. They weren't brought in by the Guardians, but I knew Harrier had something to do with it. He was there with the other squad while it happened."

Aerrow was still full of questions. "Harrier..." the Knight said, thinking back. "He had said there was a fire. _What happened_..." Aerrow took a breath, trying to take control of his anger and concern. "What happened to them?"

Starling continued to eye Aerrow with understanding. "I don't know the details," Starling defended. "But from what I heard, they generally came out okay. Nothing serious."

Aerrow once again paused in his response to think. _Nothing serious..._He gave a hollow laugh. Starling was uneasy at his reaction and looked at him with apprehension. Yet she knew enough not to say anything just yet. Aerrow sat as he pretended to think things through, but then the thoughtfulness melted off his face and was replaced by a reckless desire. Aerrow rose to his feet once again and addressed Starling directly.

"Right," he said briskly, with a casual air that alerted Starling's instincts that something was wrong. "No point just hanging around... Starling, do you have a skimmer I could borrow?"

Taken aback, Starling stuttered in her next question. "What? But... where do you plan on going?"

Aerrow, who had been making for the door, turned back to Starling with a genuine expression of confusion. "Well... Cyclonia, of course."

"What?" Starling corrected, also rising from her chair. "Aerrow, wait just a second. There's no way you can go there now!"

"What do you want me to do?" Aerrow snapped back. "Just sit here? My friends are being held in the Cyclonian Tower. If that's where they are, then that's where I'm going."

Starling's face fell, because this wasn't merely the tantrum of a boy who had lost his friends... it was the anger of a leader who had lost his team.

"Listen, Aerrow. We still have no idea what Cyclonis might be planning. I know what you're going through, but this isn't the solution."

" 'You know what I'm going through'?" Aerrow yelled back in frustration. "You're telling me you know what it feels like to be betrayed by your friends?"

"I know what it feels like to lose everything!" Starling corrected him with vehemence, also temporarily losing her composure. "And I was trying to make sure the same doesn't happen to you!"

This outburst surprised Aerrow out of his anger, and he broke eye contact with Starling, ashamed that he had used her to vent his feelings. "...I'm sorry," he conceded after a pause.

Starling was breathing heavily, but sat back down calmly all the same. "Don't be. It's natural for you to feel this way. But if you want to find your friends and free the others, we have to go about this logically. Rushing into situations like this is the worst thing to do. Don't think I'm lecturing you, because I'm not. I'm talking from experience. The first thing I wanted to do when the Raptors had claimed my team was to tear apart Bogaton tree by tree. But I hung back... thought things through... _planned_ my actions. When fighting a war, you can't let emotions get in the way."

Aerrow (who had fallen into a seat while Starling was talking) looked up in disbelief at Starling's last words. "Do you really believe that?"

Starling sighed and looked away, feeling she had said too much. "No," she confessed. "But that is how a soldier should think... It's why so many are able to go along with the treaty. They put aside their guilt and let their own concerns guide them instead. But an asset can also be a disadvantage. All I'm saying is that you should be careful about what you do next, Aerrow. This isn't like any other mission. You can't afford to take this lightly."

"I'm not-" Aerrow was about to protest, but Starling cut him off by raising her hand apologetically.

"You know that's not what I meant," the Interceptor said gently. Aerrow relaxed and leaned back into his chair.

"They're at Cyclonia, Starling..." Aerrow confessed. "They're there because of me."

"No," Starling argued back strongly. "They're there because of Cyclonis."

But her words did little to improve Aerrow's mood. "How long before the rest join them?" the Storm Hawk mused quietly. "Finn? Well... I don't even know where Dove stands anymore. As for Radarr? Who knows..." Aerrow clearly needed some cheering up, but Starling knew that right now there was nothing she'd be able to say. "If only we knew..." Aerrow continued. "Cyclonis... I just can't accept that it would end like this."

A sudden thought seemed to have occurred to Aerrow, and he looked up at Starling. "Why didn't you turn?"

He wasn't accusing her of anything – it was simply curiosity. Starling sighed, yet also gave a small sad smile. "I know no one wants to turn their back on peace," Starling began. "But I would never be able to trust Cyclonis. It was on her orders that the Raptors attacked my team. I know it sounds vengeful, but there are some things that peace simply cannot replace. And I'm not about to make the same mistakes twice."

Aerrow looked sharply at Starling at her last words, and she realized her confession. She looked away, embarrassed, and if Aerrow didn't know her better, he would have suspected that there was a red tinge behind that purple hair. However, what she said had almost completely summarized Aerrow's feelings. No one was willing to give up their chance for peace... And some of what Harrier had said before was also true; the Alliance was not incapable. They had means of ensuring that Cyclonis lived up to the terms of the treaty and of monitoring Cyclonian activity. If only they could show people that the risk was too great... If they could find some evidence, or even a _hint_ of what Cyclonis might be planning...

In the middle of his thoughts, Aerrow looked back to Starling. She had grown quiet while the both of them reflected on their next course of action. To think... she had felt the same way before. Only circumstances had been different then...

...But were they?...

Sensing something approaching, Aerrow looked down in concentration. A treaty... between Cyclonia and the Alliance...

Starling had been staring at nothing, quietly thinking on circumstances, when she was almost startled out of her seat when Aerrow suddenly lunged forward, putting his hands firmly on the table between them.

"That's it!" Aerrow announced spontaneously.

"What?" Starling asked, still a bit flustered. "What's it?"

Aerrow gave a sideways mischievous smile, and the old glint of his daring spirit finally reappeared behind his eyes. It was the look he used to have on the eve of a mission. It was the look of a plan.

"I think I know how Cyclonis is going to break the treaty."


	12. Working Together

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_**Minn: **_I'm done with excuses. It's just LIFE, okay, peeps? Sadly, I do not have the kind of time I used to have in high school, so I only get the chance to sit down and write really at most one a week... and even then it's only for about half an hour or so. I'm sorry. Really, I'm trying my best to dedicate enough time to this fic, but there are sadly other priorities that take much higher precedence over this. Regardless, I am still dedicated to seeing this though to the end, so just bear with me, and there will be chapters yet to come. I appreciate all of the support everyone has given me so far. :)

p.s. As a little incentive, next chapter promises to be quite 'stimulating'. ;) Also, I'm considering chapter 12 to be around the halfway point. (Plotwise... not chapter wise. Still not sure how many we have left... a goof handful at the least).

p.p.s. I'm going on vacation in late April. I can't promise if chapter 12 will be out before then, but I'll try my best.

Chapter 11: Working Together

"Are you sure about this plan, Aerrow?"

"You agreed my idea sounded plausible."

"It does, but this isn't like last time. We have to avoid detection if we want to succeed."

As Starling spoke, she eyed the teen with a knowing look. Aerrow was often rash and reckless in his actions – not the best characteristics to possess when engaging a stealth mission. However, Aerrow casually shrugged off the scolding glare. This was his element. Nothing was going to discourage him in the middle of their mission.

Their mission just so happened to be taking place on Bogaton. When Aerrow had spontaneously announced their destination, Starling first questioned him, not realizing the connection he had made in regards to Cyclonis' intent. Yet it was easy enough to explain.

The terms of the treaty were very clear. Pilots from either one of the opposing sides were not allowed to enter the other's airspace. However, the treaty only expanded its influence to Cyclonia and the Alliance. There was nothing written in the treaty regarding the airspace of _third parties_. And as Starling had brought to Aerrow's attention, Cyclonis had used the Raptors and other rogues before to carry out her plans. True, the weapons clause prevented Cyclonis from sharing any of her nation's power with the Raptors... but as she had proved before on many occasions, Cyclonis was able to work just as efficiently through tactics rather than blunt force, and there was nothing in the treaty about _communication_ with third parties.

Either way, Aerrow was convinced he had caught a hold of something. He would not be surprised if the Raptors turned out to be involved in all of this. However, Starling still remained doubtful. She pointed out to Aerrow that even if Cyclonis was communicating with the Raptors, the treaty still prevented her from initiating hostile actions, and the Raptors were not powerful enough a force to pose a serious threat to the Alliance on their own, regardless if they "gained a few pointers". Cyclonis was not in possession of a secret unbeatable battle plan, for if she was, surely she would have ignored the whole facade of a treaty and merely initiated her hostile advances instead.

But Aerrow was still uneasy. It didn't seem like a serious threat, yet it was still the one (somewhat) loophole he could spot in the otherwise foolproof clauses. It didn't take much work to convince Starling to at least investigate, and so the two Sky Knights now found themselves crouched in hiding amongst the Bogaton underbrush, immediately outside the entrance of Repton's lair.

"You ready?" Aerrow checked with Starling.

She knew it would be pointless to voice any doubts now, so Starling simply nodded her head silently, as she turned her attention to the two guards outside of the entrance, Aerrow following her gaze.

"We have to be fast," Starling reminded Aerrow in a whisper. Smoothly, she picked up one of two small rocks sitting at her feet. Great care had to be taken for this first step. It would be easy enough for the two Knights to take out the Raptors on their own, but the key here was to gain entrance without sounding the alarm. Eventually, two disabled guards would be found no matter how discreet they were... so the only option left was a distraction. Even then, it had to be a distraction that left no evidence.

So Starling decided to throw a rock.

It was really the only thing the two Knights could think of at such short notice, and Starling felt a little silly for resorting to such a basic move, but it promised to effective nonetheless, just so long as she could pull it off without giving away their position.

Flipping the small rock quickly in her hand, Starling waited for a moment when both guards were looking away from where she and Aerrow laid crouched. Her second came, and in half that time she had succeeded in tossing the stone a great distance down the main road, into the other end of the brush. It was big enough to cause an audible clatter, and the noise caught the attention of both lizards, their reptilian heads turning sharply, ever alert. One gazed at the other in silent communication, and left his post to investigate.

This was the crucial moment. Starling and Aerrow ducked around to a curve in the wall, no more than five feet from where the remaining guard stood. Starling peered carefully around the corner. It was now or never. She tossed the remaining rock clear over the guard's head, so he would not notice it in his line of sight. It landed amid some bushes, but it caused enough of a rustle to temporarily catch the Raptor off guard. He turned his gaze for a moment, allowing Starling and Aerrow to run past behind him as both Knights knew he would not be so easily swayed from his post while his partner was still absent. The distraction was only good for just under two seconds, but it was enough. Starling And Aerrow quickly fled to a dark corner of the room which they had entered, and exhaled in relief.

They were in.

"Now what?" Starling whispered once they had made sure their position was secure. A complete plan had not been made prior, since it still wasn't clear exactly what they were looking for.

"We'll just have to explore until we find something," Aerrow said, determination not wavering in the slightest.

Starling was a little uneasy, but she followed Aerrow all the same. "Alright. But remember to stay low."

The duo slowly made their way through the halls of Repton's lair. It was not a pleasant experience, to say the least. There were regular patrols through the halls, and more than once Aerrow and Starling had just narrowly evaded an encounter. If they were going to investigate, they had to do so in secrecy. However, as time wore on, Starling began to have doubts. She wasn't as sure anymore that there _was_ anything to investigate, and even Aerrow's certainty looked like it was beginning to wane. Even though she knew their skyrides were well hidden, Starling couldn't help but wonder how much longer they could rely on them not being discovered. Bogaton was a fairly large terra, but it wasn't _that _big.

But suddenly, just as Starling was beginning to give thought to voicing her musings to Aerrow, something caught her eye.

"Aerrow."

The Storm Hawk, who had been leading them through the halls, turned as his name was gently called. Starling gestured to a door opposite them, which was slightly ajar. Just visible from where he was standing, Aerrow could spy some bookcases inside.

And he didn't know many Raptors who bothered to make reading a regular habit.

Aerrow nodded in agreement as Starling gently pushed the door open. The Sky Knights entered cautiously but then could not hide smiles at what they had come across.

It was very obviously Repton's study. Probably the only one in the building since Raptors were more focused on power than tact. There wasn't much in the room – only a few half-filled bookcases and a small desk positioned in the middle of the room, but it was enough. Through some sixth sense, Aerrow could tell that somewhere in here, there was a clue.

As Starling perused the books thoughtfully, (Aerrow suspected more for her own curiosity rather than what they were looking for) Aerrow shuffled through the papers strewn about carelessly on the desk. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Some security maintenance... an order for some crystals... random illegible scribblings... but no sinister plot; nothing Atmos-shattering at any rate. Disappointed but not discouraged, Aerrow turned his attention to the desk drawers. The one on the left held nothing fruitful either, just some bits of mechanical junk and a stray crystal here and there. The drawer on the right, however, held much more interest, since it was locked.

Aerrow had to open it.

"Starling," Aerrow called over, still mindful to keep his voice low. The other Knight moved over to where the Storm Hawk stood, and looked down at the drawer as Aerrow pulled on it again to demonstrate his point.

"Just a second," Starling said with a small smirk, as she pulled out a pair of crystals, both matching in their bright yellow colour. One seemed quite ordinary, yet the other was no larger than a toothpick. This one Starling slipped into the small keyhole of the drawer. Cupping her now free hand between her face and the keyhole, she held up the larger crystal, which slowly grew in luminance. Aerrow startled as a loud pop flew out of the keyhole as the toothpick-like crystal exploded. It wasn't a huge bang, but Aerrow looked back at the door all the same, for he was sure the noise would have been audible from the hallway. Fortunately, it seemed no one was nearby, for Starling and Aerrow remained undisturbed.

As Aerrow returned his attention to the drawer, Starling pulled it open with a flourish, grinning mischievously as she tucked the crystal back into one of her pockets. As the red headed knight watched her, he couldn't help but feel his spirits plummet for a moment.

That was the kind of trick Piper would probably come up with.

No. Never mind that just now. It was unlocked. Time to investigate.

The drawer was filled with a large stack of papers. Starling and Aerrow both dug into its contents, their instincts telling them they were on the right track. The documents stored in this drawer were more pristine, their importance showing through the care under which they were kept. In truth, Aerrow had a hard time understanding some of the plans and notes that were laid out before him, but Starling seemed to be drinking in the information hungrily. Aerrow eyed her curiously, but decided it best to say nothing.

They had only gone through a third of the pile, when Starling had diverted Aerrow's attention.

"Look at this..."

Aerrow turned around as Starling called over to him. He gazed down at what see what she was looking at, laid out across half of the desk. It looked like a large set of plans for... something. Aerrow wasn't completely ignorant when it came to that art of blueprints and crystal matrices, but these plans looked advanced.

"What is it?" he asked Starling, but she seemed to be at nearly just as much of a loss.

"It's hard to say..." Starling replied distantly in thought, eyes scanning the plans eagerly. "But these are advanced calculations... way too advanced for Raptors."

"The Terradons?" Aerrow speculated. "Possibly remains from when they left?"

"No..." Starling trailed off, looking troubled as she continued studying the plans. "This type of math is too recent... I haven't even seen crystal technology like this before."

Aerrow began to feel shiver of adrenaline pass through him. "Starling," he said, his eyes lighting up as he realized the potential of their discovery. "This could be it! What if these plans came from Cyclonia?"

This statement finally caught Starling's full attention as she pulled away from the papers before her. "You think Cyclonis is smuggling blueprints to the Raptors?"

"It's not unlikely," Aerrow defended. "Technically, she wouldn't be breaking the treaty since we don't actually know what this is yet. It may or may not be a weapon of some kind, but even if it is, technically the treaty hasn't been signed yet... and these are only blueprints! If Cyclonis is using the time she has left until she has to abide by the clauses, she can set up things the way she wants them, just so long as she makes sure the Alliance doesn't realize what she's up to in the meantime."

"That's a pretty big stretch, Aerrow..." Starling began, and at first, Aerrow's spirits fell as he thought she was going to present some sort of counterpoint. But instead, she turned back to the plans in steady concentration. "...But it could be possible."

Aerrow smiled again, and leaned in beside the Interceptor so he could also study the paper.

"There's no guarantee this came from Cyclonia..." Starling stated. "But looking at this section, it worries me that you might be on the right track in thinking this is a weapon." Starling gestured to a diagram of a crystal matrix as she spoke.

"What is it?" Aerrow asked.

"An internal reaction. A strong one. It holds more power than a natural crystal could ever harness, but this layout seems incomplete... ...Wait a minute!" Something had suddenly caught Starling's eye, and she scolded herself mentally for not noticing it sooner.

"Page three of six," Aerrow read aloud, looking at the small footnote Starling pointed out.

"No wonder we couldn't make sense of it," Starling said, annoyed with herself. "Help me gather up the other pages – "

But all at once, Starling and Aerrow's hearts stopped. In the heat of their discovery, both had failed to notice that smooth steps were slowly making their way down the hallway outside.

"Put them back!" Starling ordered in a panicked whisper as she gathered the blueprints in front of her. Aerrow scrounged up the rest of the papers and placed them orderly yet as quickly as possible back inside the drawer. Starling dumped the last of it inside the desk and slid the drawer shut just as the steps sounded from right outside the study door. The Interceptor dashed to a far corner of the room in which Aerrow was already in hiding behind a bookshelf. Starling joined him in the shadows, when no one other than Repton himself entered.

Starling tensed and barely breathed as she watched the Raptor circle around the desk and sit down, his back to the Knights. Through some divine grace, his keener senses hadn't picked up that anything was amiss with his surroundings, and he seemed content with the more important business running through his head. Starling couldn't help but betray a smug grin. She had invaded Repton's own study and he was none the wiser. She glanced down at Aerrow beside her to share a victorious glance, but her blood turned cold at the look on his face.

He was staring at the drawer.

The drawer with the lock they destroyed.

Of course. How did Starling miss that? She must have panicked. There was no time. But one way or the other, Repton was bound to notice that the drawer that was supposed to be locked now had a rather badly damaged keyhole.

Starling held her breath. It was only a matter of time...

But nothing happened. Repton cleared away some of the less important debris on his desk and made a few notes. Then, though an absolute miracle, or perhaps simply the most insane luck Starling had ever witnessed, Repton pulled open the drawer casually, grabbed the blueprints, and slid the drawer shut again, not even seeming to ever recall it needed a key.

But they weren't clear yet. Starling continued to stay stone still in anticipation. She could feel the slight tremors of adrenaline coursing through Aerrow beside her. Neither Knight dared to breath.

But Repton didn't notice. He simply carried the blueprints in his hands as he rose from his desk and exited the study, walking away to some unknown part of his fortress.

It was a solid minute before either Knight moved.

"That..." Aerrow finally breathed in less than a whisper. "...Was impossible."

"Impossibly lucky," Starling replied ruefully, as if it were disgraceful to ever have to rely on that amount of chance. "That was much too close, Aerrow. I say it's about time we leave."

"Agreed," Aerrow said, though a little downtrodden.

"Problem?" Starling questioned, as Aerrow made another check of the desk.

"He took all of it, Starling," he said, gazing in at a half empty drawer. "All of those plans are gone... Anything we could have used as proof."

Starling placed a hand on Aerrow's shoulder. "It's okay," she comforted him, though it came out hollow. "There was no real evidence that those plans were Cyclonian..."

But neither Knight could deny that they had lost a valuable chance.

"Either way we at least have a slim idea of what might be going on here..." Aerrow shrugged it off, trying to come up with a new course of action. "Let's get out of here. We'll discuss our next move once we're someplace safe."

"Good idea."

* * *

><p>Sneaking out of Repton's lair wasn't any harder than sneaking in, and soon Starling and Aerrow found themselves wandering through the untamed wilderness of Bogaton, nearby to where they hid their skimmers (Aerrow having borrowed a spare one of Starling's).<p>

"I think it's clear now that we're operating on a tight timeline," Starling said, in the middle of conversation while the duo slowly came into the rocky clearing where their rides awaited them. "We need to be quick and final about what we're going to do."

"I know we didn't learn much," Aerrow stated, coming up to his skimmer and looking down at it as he prepared to mount it. "But I still think we should-" But the Storm Hawk was cut off as Starling grabbed his arm, tense and alert. Aerrow looked up at her curiously, but her face was turned toward a grouping of trees. "What is it?" He turned his gaze to where Starling was looking, and then realized what caught her attention when he heard the rumbling of a skyride.

Both Starling and Aerrow remained alert, ready for a fight. But as the skyride pulled up and its pilot made known, Aerrow merely frowned slightly as she dismounted.

"Dove," Aerrow stated coolly, remembering their last meeting and still not sure if he could trust her. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to find you ever since I left," Dove replied quickly, still trying to win Aerrow over. "But since I 'ad no idea where to turn, I decided to do some of my own investigation. It's just lucky we both 'appened to check Bogaton..."

"Where's Finn?" Aerrow cut her off, not really seeming to listen. This took Dove aback, as she still believed she could make Aerrow trust her, and had assumed that time would have let both of them forget what had been said before. But Aerrow's question and tone clearly showed where his priorities were. It's not that he was angry or begrudging Dove... he was simply undecided about her. And right now there were much more important matters at hand.

Dove didn't say anything in response to Aerrow's question, but she didn't have to. The look on her face was enough.

Aerrow merely stood coldly, not letting a single thought appear through his expressions. This scared Starling like nothing else when she remembered how passionate he was about the issue earlier.

"Come on, Starling," Aerrow said, not paying Dove any notice as he mounted the skimmer. However, he was soon startled out of his act when Dove placed herself in front of the skyride.

"Listen to me!" Dove finally broke, as Starling shuffled her weight uneasily in the background. "I know you don't believe in me, but at least believe in the very real danger that your team is in!"

It was Dove's desperation and her insistence on the safety of his team that made Aerrow falter. Because for a moment, he was reminded of himself...

_Your gut feeling said we were innocent. You were right._

Aerrow softened, and hesitated as he tried to explain. "Dove, I-"

But once again the conversation came to a falter as Aerrow paused. His attention was suddenly caught by something off in the distance behind him, and Starling also became still as she listened.

There was the steely hum of approaching skimmers.

"Move!" Starling ordered, as she started her own ride.

Aerrow didn't need to be told twice, and as Dove ran back towards her own skimmer, he followed Starling down a long path that would lead them to the terra's edge.

However, they wouldn't be able to fly for a good few miles yet, and as the two Knights merged onto the open road, Aerrow glanced behind himself to get an idea of their situation. The Raptors had definitely discovered them, alright. They were closing in fast, and Aerrow could make out Spitz, Hoerk, and Lugey leading two other Raptors towards their targets.

They looked serious. This might get interesting.

"Keep close," Starling called across to Aerrow. However, almost as soon as she finished speaking, Starling was forced to swerve to the side as she dodged an attack from behind. Aerrow looked back again and scowled. They weren't getting the advantage _that _easily. Positioning his ride just right, Aerrow hit the brakes hard and fell back behind the Raptors, who had grown very close in their pursuit. Aerrow smirked as he took out two of the Raptors from behind as Starling challenged Hoerk from the side. Aerrow was about to speed up to her aid, when he hadn't realized Spitz had fallen back beside him.

The Raptor aimed for Aerrow's ride, but the Sky Knight was able to pull away just in time. However, his manoeuvre was cut short when Lugey rammed into the other side of his skimmer. Spitz closed in, and Aerrow realized with a jolt that he was pinned.

There was no other option. Deserting his ride, Aerrow jumped off from behind and landed in a roll, watching as the two other Raptors sped away, unable to react quickly enough to turn back. Well... it would buy him a little time. But then from out of nowhere, Aerrow felt a sharp pain rise up his back as he was launched face-first to the ground. Aerrow turned around and looked up to see that one of the earlier Raptors had caught up, and he approached Aerrow menacingly, weapon in hand.

Aerrow reached for his twin blades, but then in a moment of panic realized he had dropped them when taken by surprise from the initial attack. The Storm Hawk gritted his teeth. This wasn't good.

But then Dove appeared from out of nowhere and shot a pulse of energy from her ride, making the Raptor collapse to the ground. Dove pulled up beside the lizard in distaste while Aerrow got to his feet and grabbed his swords. He turned to face Dove, who refused to make eye contact.

"Now do you believe me?" She spoke testily with heavy sarcasm. It was meant to be rhetorical, but Aerrow wanted to answer all the same. He looked back to make sure that the Raptor Dove had taken out was the last of them. There was not a skimmer in sight. Aerrow turned back to Dove, hesitating. She seemed unaware of what he was thinking, but Aerrow knew he owed it to both of them to say what was on his mind.

"Yes."

Dove looked up as Aerrow spoke, surprise clear on her face, as she had given it up as a lost cause. However, Aerrow approached her slowly, an apology on his face as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I trust you. I'm sorry, Dove."

He was completely sincere. There regret and truthfulness in his voice made that clear. Dove broke into a smile and hugged Aerrow, relieved and grateful. The Knight was a little taken aback by it, but then returned the gesture. "Come on," he said, after they had parted. "Let's catch up with Starling."

* * *

><p>After the fight with the Raptors, the three friends didn't run into any more trouble with leaving Bogaton. Starling was a little surprised to see Dove join them, especially after what had happened when she first turned up, but Starling knew better than to ask too many questions. Besides, despite whatever had happened, Dove and Aerrow seemed to be on equal ground now.<p>

"So what next?" Dove asked, as the three flew through the skies.

"We should think about exactly what the repercussions are of what Aerrow and I saw inside Repton's study," Starling replied, mind turned to business. Dove's eyes grew wide, eager for details, yet Aerrow looked like he had other thoughts churning inside his head.

"I know you don't want to do this, Starling," Aerrow said, addressing the other Knight directly. "But thinking about what we saw... I still say we should go to Cyclonia." Starling raised an eyebrow and was about to say something in reply, when Aerrow cut her off. "It's not for the reason you think. Or... at least not mostly. I just feel like it's time we go on the offensive."

Starling carefully studied Aerrow, and then glanced over to Dove, who looked a bit confused but loyal all the same.

"Actually..." Starling opened. "I've been thinking the same thing myself. Let's wait until we land. We can make plans in detail once we get back."

Aerrow looked satisfied and said nothing else, while Starling smirked slightly and Dove flew beside him. It might take time, it would take a lot of planning, but somehow he knew... soon they would be heading to Cyclonia.

* * *

><p>Small echoes reverberated their way through the metal ducts as Radarr sneaked his way through the inner workings of the ship he had boarded after his run-in with the skyshark. It was very dirty and smelt even worse, yet by this time Radarr was accustomed to even worse circumstances.<p>

Although, he would like to know exactly which ship it was he had boarded. Radarr snuck his way through the ventilation system, and tried peering through the grates to get a better idea of where he was. So far, his search had revealed nothing. Nothing, that was, until he had found the grate that looked into the bridge.

Radarr had to stop himself from screeching in surprise at what he saw. No less than six Murk Raiders, Scabulous in their midst, stood before him. This was the Blood Crow! Radarr was onboard the Blood Crow! Even though he knew he was safe in his current position, Radarr still felt a shiver go up his spine at the site of such ruthless enemies.

But then an even more shocking surprise met Radarr's sight – a Talon commander stepped into view. Radarr chirred in the back of his throat in heavy curiosity. A Talon? What on earth was a _Talon_ doing onboard the Blood Crow? Moreover, Scabulous seemed... well... Radarr wouldn't say pleased, but Scabulous didn't seem like he had an immediate desire to tear the Talon commander to pieces. Radarr whimpered slightly. If Murk Raiders and Cyclonians were getting along, that was _not_ good news.

The two leaders seemed to be discussing something, but Radarr had a hard time making out their words. He pressed his nose to the grate, straining his ears to pick up the slightest clue. Did the Talon say 'it would be worth it'...? Maybe something about a deal?

But before he had much time to listen, the Talon seemed to have concluded his business, as he shook hands formally with Scabulous and departed. By that time, Radarr knew the Cyclonians were up to something, and now was his chance to find out what. The Talon turned and looked like he was prepared to make his exit. ...Wait... exit? Of course! Where there's Cyclonians, there's Cyclonian Destroyers! Now was his chance!

Using his keen instincts, Radarr followed the Talon via the vents down to the hangar bay. Being careful to not draw too much attention towards himself, he removed the grate and fell down gently to the floor, hiding behind some crates. The hanger bay was _huge_, and the large metallic teeth which encircled the mouth of the ship didn't help to calm Radarr's nerves. To make matters worse, a large group of Murk Raiders were standing by as the Talon approached the deployed slider, which led back to his own ship (though granted, it was _not_ clenched in between the teeth).

Radarr looked around, trying to come up with a plan for how he could sneak on board the Destroyer without being noticed. While he scanned the room, Radarr noticed a strange box that seemed to be guarded by one of the Raiders. Without really knowing the reason, Radarr felt an intense desire to see what was inside. Maybe this was due in part to the feeling he had seen it before, but for the life of him couldn't remember from where...

But then, someone passed in front of Radarr's hiding spot, and he was snapped out of his thoughts. No. He couldn't be distracted now. This was his only chance to find out what the Cyclonians were doing. And perhaps, Radarr thought with a small squirm in his stomach, do some recon on Cyclonia...

The only problem was that there seemed no way to pass, at least not without a distraction...

But then, Radarr became subject to his own distraction when he became aware of a small shuffling of feathers behind him.

Really?  
>Now?<em><br>Here_?

Unable to believe it, Radarr turned around, and sure enough there was the white chicken that seemed to follow him everywhere. Radarr had no idea how she did it... but there she was. But then, an idea hit Radarr. Maybe the chicken's appearance wasn't such a bad thing after all...

Without giving her a chance to react to anything, Radarr picked up the hen and threw her directly into the midst of the Murk Raiders. Appalled at being handled in such an unceremonious fashion, the hen took out her anger on the first targets she spotted. Annoyed and flustered, she began to peck at the Raiders with surprising ferocity. Needless to say, they weren't appreciative. The scuffle soon broke out into ridiculous proportions, and soon, the hangar bay was full of angry Murk Raiders chasing down a chicken, feathers and glowing purple weapons flying everywhere. The retreating commander turned to watch the mayhem unfolding behind him, while Radarr took his moment of opportunity and slipped right past him, entering the Cyclonian Destroyer.

It wasn't much less intimidating than the Blood Crow. Being careful not to be spotted, Radarr snuck around the perimeter of the room until he found a nice isolated spot hidden behind some large pipes. Radarr ducked into his shadowy corner and waited. It didn't take long for the commander to return, and then shortly after the ship began to fly away from the Blood Crow, no doubt heading back to Cyclonia.

Radarr whimpered slightly as he hid inside the ship.. He wondered if this was the best move. It was incredibly dangerous to say the least, but it was his job as a Storm Hawk to investigate any leads given to him. Also, if he was going to be honest with himself, he wanted to find out what the state of the rest of his team was. It seemed like forever since he had visited Saharr with Aerrow and Finn, and even longer since he had arrived at Latebra with everyone else.

Radarr curled in a ball and tried to relax, though the effort was futile. What sort of adventures had the rest of the team gotten into? Was everyone alright? Did they find each other? Radarr sighed a heavy breath of longing. He wished he could see them again. And above all, he wished he could be with Aerrow.

All he could do was hope... hope that his destination might provide him with answers. Either way, all he knew was that one way or another, he was heading to Cyclonia.


	13. Critical

**Minn: **_Here! Now! You will go!_

_h t t p : / / s h u b b a b a n g . t u m b l r . c o m / p o s t / 2 0 2 4 5 9 6 4 0 6 3 / i t - w a s - j u s t - s u c h - a n - o h - m y - g o d - m o m e n t - a n d - t h e _

_Let me just point out that ShubbaBANG is like, one of THE BEST people of all time. Go check out her tumblr and deviantArt. It is awesome. And she is awesome. :D_

_Oooookay got this out just in time. You guys are going to hate me so much. :P Because remember, I'm leaving soon for my vacation, meaning I'm not going to be working on this again for about a month. THEN I start writing... which knowing me will probably take another month... So yeah, next update is going to take A WHILE! I MEAN __**A WHILE**__! But I mean, this is a pretty long chapter, so that should keep you guys smiling for a while... right? I was ALMOST tempted to split up this chapter into two smaller ones, but I think it just works so much better as a whole. No worries, there's still a good bit of life left in this fic, though we're definitely over halfway now._

Chapter 12: Critical

"_Are you nervous?" Starling's voice echoed back in the memory of Aerrow's head._

"_Yes."_

"_Good. It will keep you alert. It would be foolish of you not to be."_

"_What about you?"_

"_Of course. But I still believe everything will be fine. We spent how much time making this plan?"_

"_So many things can go wrong..."_

"_You're not backing out on me?"_

"_Of course not. Just... we're taking a pretty big risk here, Starling. Everything relies on this mission. One wrong move could be critical."_

"_Then we'll follow the plan. As long as we do that, we can't fail."_

* * *

><p>"We can't fail..." Aerrow whispered to himself, more out of reassurance than anything, though it was also a point of fact. His team, his friends, and perhaps all of Atmos relied on this mission.<p>

Although technically it had already began; Aerrow and Starling had spent the last few hours sneaking past Cyclonian patrols, flying close to the intense heat of the Wastelands, being cautious to not let a single person spot them. It took a long time, and the going was rough, but as both Knights knew perfectly well, it was essential... though far from pleasant. When they had finally gotten to the base of Cyclonia Tower, Aerrow felt almost relieved to see it looming out of the smouldering clouds.

The two flew towards a small rocky outcropping of the base. Aerrow landed shortly behind Starling, who had been leading the two. She had already dismounted and was talking briskly over a short-wave radio. She tucked it away as Aerrow approached, looking serious.

"Dove managed okay?" Aerrow asked,

Starling nodded. "She's fine."

Aerrow looked up at the sheer cliff face before them. They had flown quite a height from the bottom of the base, yet they still were a good distance away from one of the main docking bays. Aerrow watched intently as large shipments of crystals were being received overhead.

"Alright," he said, feeling prepared. "Let's do this."

Starling nodded and turned to their skimmers. She rooted through the boot of her own, and pulled out a large tarp. It was musty and deep brown, but it was perfect for their purposes. With Aerrow's help, they draped it and tied it down securely over their skimmers. The disguise wasn't perfect, but this was a remote outcropping on the rocky base of the tower – rarely passed by and unvisited. It would be efficient enough to hide their rides from a distance.

"Let's go," Aerrow said, turning immediately towards the cliff-face, but Starling held him back for a moment.

"Aerrow," she said, in a tone that indicated she was going to give him one last bit of advice. "I know it's your team... I know it's what you've been searching for, but don't get carried away. Take your time. Don't act impulsively."

Starling said it in a dead serious yet understanding way which made its way efficiently across to Aerrow. He paused, and looked to the side, not making eye contact. "I know, Starling. Truthfully... it's what I'm worried about."

Starling retreated a bit, not fully understanding Aerrow's statement.

"Just..." Aerrow hesitated. But he couldn't continue. Not now. He already spent his time worrying about that in days past. Now it was time to act. To save his team. "Let's go," Aerrow changed the subject, turning again towards their ascent. Starling followed without another word.

The two climbed around the middle base of the terra, slowly making their way up and around to the side of the building itself, being careful to remain in the shadows. When they had finally reached level ground, Starling pressed herself up again the outer wall of the tower, looking around the corner to where the crystals spotted earlier were being unloaded. The outer section of the docking bay itself was quite empty, the bigger crates already hauled inside to the sheltered interior, where most of the Talons were busy bringing them out in smaller crates. However, some of these smaller boxes still lined the metal floor extending away into the air. The closest one was a small distance away, just around the bend of the wall. Fortunately enough the lid was open, the soft glow from the crystals clearly visible. The Talons that were stationed on the outer part of the docking bay were considerably farther. In the darkness Starling watched, as Aerrow kept a lookout. Two seconds were all it would take.

Without a word of warning, Starling sprinted to the crate as soon as the cost was clear, the Talons having their backs turned. She snatched two crystals and then returned as fast as she came, none of the Cyclonians noticing a thing.

Starling panted from adrenaline as she retreated to the shadows where Aerrow waited. However, she wasn't out of breath for long, and she smirked down at Aerrow, who had been waiting for confirmation.

"Our intel was right," Starling said, holding out one of the two crystals to Aerrow. He studied its pink glow, grinning slightly as he took it.

"Cloaking crystals."

"_Raw_ cloaking crystals," Starling corrected. "Direct from Tundras. The Alliance is clearly taking the initiative to hurry things along, since they're not required to return Cyclonis' terra to her until after the treaty is signed. A peace offering..."

Starling trailed off bitterly as Aerrow continued to study the crystal. His anxiousness to proceed alerted Starling. "Treat these crystals carefully. They are very unstable," Starling warned. "And they won't last."

"I know," Aerrow said, holding the crystal carefully and becoming serious. He stole another look at it while Starling held hers out for examination. "How long do you guess we have?" Aerrow asked.

"Hard to say. No more than ten minutes, maybe. But that should be enough time."

Aerrow nodded. "Okay then. Let's do this."

Starling pulled out a long, very thin length of rope and tied one end around her wrist. Aerrow took the other end with his free hand and did the same. It wasn't completely necessary, but the last thing they needed was to get separated. It was better to have a link between them while they were invisible.

Starling activated her crystal and Aerrow followed suit. He took a moment to look down at himself, processing this new experience. It was weird... knowing your body was there but not able to see it.

"You alright?" Starling asked, bringing Aerrow back to the task at hand.

"Ye-yeah," Aerrow stuttered a bit, still weirded-out by the experience.

"Come on," the disembodied voice of Starling said, already moving away. "We need to be quick. I'll lead."

Aerrow felt a tug on his wrist, and he followed the faint footsteps he could just make out in front of him. As the two crossed in front of the docking bay, Aerrow suddenly stopped, aware that the cord tightened as Starling was brought to a jerky halt.

"What?" Starling whispered, since there were still Talons nearby.

"Look," Aerrow said, pointing, but then remembering Starling couldn't see him, he added, "To the left. The central landing strip."

Starling turned to look at the spot Aerrow indicated and smiled. The main landing strip Aerrow was talking about stood at the very front of Cyclonia, at a slightly higher level than the two were at now. It was adjacent to another large section of metal flooring which extended outside the tower, and parked right on top of it was the _Condor_.

"That makes things easy," Starling continued to whisper. "At least we know for sure where it is now. But that's for later. Come on, we need to hurry."

Aerrow nodded his head and turned to follow the sound of Starling's footsteps, rushed and tense. However, it became harder to track the sound once they entered the tower itself, since the noise of activity from the Talons drowned out such subtleties. Aerrow and Starling were forced to come to a walk, for fear of tripping each other up. Aerrow was rigid as they passed through the busy corridors and hallways. It felt wrong to be walking past Talons in plain sight.

Finally, they had moved past the initial entrance of the tower into its more deserted sections. Aerrow and Starling both breathed small sighs of relief after doing so. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

"If my suspicions are correct," Starling whispered when they were in the clear. "The dungeons should be in the lower level. We should make our way down and search from there."

"Right..."

Starling's curiosity was peaked. She wished she could look at Aerrow, and deduce what he was thinking, but the cloaking crystal apparently still had some juice in it, for all that remained was the anxious determination in his voice.

But then... Starling did get her wish. With a flicker in space, Aerrow flashed back into sight, and then by the altered expression on his face, Starling guessed she did the same.

"Blast it!" Starling exclaimed, annoyed. "Ah well," she spoke softly. "At least no one is near-"

"Shh!" Aerrow suddenly cut her off, listening closely.

Footsteps.

"Here!" Aerrow said, pulling Starling along since they were still attached at the wrist. Aerrow ducked into a small crevice largely concealed by a stone pillar. Starling sneaked in behind him. It was a close fit, but they had come too far now to be discovered. Trying her best not to be seen, Starling peaked around the corner, and internally groaned at what she saw.

It was a Nightcrawler. It was walking down the hallway straight towards them. _Why_ did it have to be a Nightcrawler? Starling quickly concealed herself one again and motioned to Aerrow to keep absolutely still and silent.

The Nightcrawler continued to walk by, his footsteps echoing down the metallic hallway. He came up beside the pillar... and stopped. Starling pulled up a hand to her mouth to muffle her breathing, and Aerrow did the same. The dark-skinned soldier was no more than four feet away.

He sniffed the air curiously. Something was... off. His head turned sharply from side to side. Where was it? Something... something...

There. The pillar? The Nightcrawler moved towards it, suspicion rising. Starling dared not move a muscle. Aerrow had broken into a cold sweat. The Nightcrawler stood right in front of the other side of the pillar. His neck slowly craned around the other end. Any second...

A buzzer went off somewhere in the distance. Starling just about jumped out of her skin, but was somehow able to keep still, though she felt Aerrow beside her betray a small jerk. The buzzer had caught the Nightcrawler's attention; clearly it held some sort of meaning for him, because with an irritated huff, he turned away and continued hurriedly down the hallway.

Starling slowly brought her hand away from her face, and stepped out of the crevice, Aerrow following after her. He was breathing heavily, and Starling looked on after the Nightcrawler with cold calculation. "Let's hope that's the most difficulty we have," Starling stated. Aerrow simply nodded. Starling then turned her attention towards the rope tied around their wrists. "I guess we don't need this anymore," she said, untying it and stowing it back in one of her pockets. "Come on. We should keep moving."

After the Nightcrawler the two didn't run into much more trouble. They had to be careful to avoid Talons that walked by, but in each case they were successful in sneaking past. Deeper and deeper they worked their way into the tower. Finally, they had reached one of the bottom-most floors. Aerrow could tell because there was a stifling heat that hung over the place that must have been from the proximity of the Wastelands. It was very dark, and there was some older stonework that merged with the metal walls. It didn't take a genius to figure out where they were.

"This must be the maximum security cells," Starling said, pointedly.

"You mean the dungeon," Aerrow replied, not bothering to sugar-coat things. Starling looked down at him, slightly worried now. Aerrow wasn't looking too good. His breathing had sped up slightly, and he was slightly hunched over, like he was carrying a large burden.

"Aerrow..." Starling was about to ask, but her cautious tone irritated him by the realization he had shown weakness, and he dismissed her passively.

"I'm fine," Aerrow said. "Just the heat." He began to walk off down the corridor again, but Starling hung back for a second, studying him. Yet she respected him enough to know to not press for answers. Not for this...

It was an isolated and depressing space, feeling more like a tunnel than a hallway. Aerrow moved on resolutely, Starling by his side. The two were careful to make sure no one was going to pop up around the corner, however they were close enough now to have their weapons drawn. No need to be sneaky now that they were so far out of the way of normal activity.

Finally, the corridor opened up to a larger room, which was lined with very solid looking doors at widely spaced intervals. Outside one of these doors stood no less than ten Nightcrawlers. Starling was momentarily taken aback. She didn't expect the guard to be that heavy. She turned to look down at Aerrow, asking him in a whisper, "You think we can take them?"

But Aerrow didn't need to respond. His gaze was fixed on the door, and the fiery blaze of determination in his eyes spoke for itself.

The Nightcrawlers didn't stand a chance.

Not waiting for Starling's cue, Aerrow ran in and began the fight, Starling lunging in after him. It took no more than five minutes to secure a victory, the last of the Nightcrawlers knocked out cold as Aerrow sheathed his twin blades. Starling held a fearful respect for the look on his face, but it was soon replaced with a much different look once something on the ground had caught Aerrow's eye.

There was a key that one of the Nightcrawlers dropped. The dark metal glittered faintly in the dim light. Aerrow bent down and took it, studying it intently. Starling tensed as once again that pained look echoed across Aerrow's face. Like a deep, nauseous anxiety. However, the Storm Hawk's eyes still burned in anticipation, and he looked towards the door slowly.

Aerrow approached it, key in hand as his footsteps echoed in the now deathly silent room. He slid the key in the lock and turned it, twitching unconsciously at the small, confirming click it made. Hand trembling slightly, he reached out and grasped the door handle firmly, turning it in place. Then with the sound of rock on metal, he pulled the door open, looking inside as he appeared in the threshold.

They were there. His team. Four faces looked up in stunned disbelief as Aerrow stood in the doorway, then took a couple of wobbling steps into the room. No one could say anything, but then a dreamlike grin cast its way upon Aerrow's face, and he spoke in a tone barely more than a whisper.

"Hey."

"Aerrow!" Piper shouted in joy, her voice breaking with passion as she and the rest of the team got up to meet him. She ran towards him, but with a notable limp that made Aerrow cringe as he fell into her arms, stress and relief making his torso shake with internal sobs. He hugged her tightly, trying to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, to the room as a whole. "I'm so sorry."

That's when Starling understood, watching the scene play out before her. Aerrow had blamed himself for all of this. Not knowing what he might find when he got here... that guilt was eating him alive. But now... now he could finally come back to grips with himself.

"Don't be sorry," Piper muttered in his ear, yet loud enough for the rest of the room to hear. "It's alright. We're okay."

As if to confirm Piper's words, the other Storm Hawks greeted Aerrow as he left the embrace. Stork gave him one of his trademarked uneasy yet somehow reassuring smiles, while Junko patted him strongly on the back, making their leader grin in relief at a display of their strength.

And then Finn approached Aerrow, the uneasy hesitation on his face clearly showing that he regretted their last encounter. He held out an apologetic hand to Aerrow, which the red-head took, but then proceeded to pull Finn into a one-armed hug.

"Sorry, Finn."

"Nah, it's cool, dude."

Aerrow stepped back and smiled. This was the way it was meant to be. The Storm Hawks - together as a team. The Sky Knight continued to smile as the others also greeted Starling, curious as to what role she played in all of this. But Aerrow's spirits couldn't help but be dampened a little as he watched his team closer.

Finn was largely alright, but Piper clearly had a sprained ankle, and both she and Stork looked like they had some pretty bad burns. Junko was a bit more fortunate with his thick Wallop skin, but even he had his share of looking a little worse for wear.

And of course... there was still one Storm Hawk missing.

But Piper, sensing what Aerrow was thinking, left the others who were talking with Starling and approached Aerrow, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Aerrow," she said meaningfully, making him smile as he saw the faces of happiness and gratitude before him.

The others returned the look, as they finished with Starling and now gazed at their leader expectantly.

"Okay, chief," Finn asked teasingly. "What's next?"

The old address rekindled the daring spirit in Aerrow. He grinned mischievously and an adventurous glare rose into his eyes. "Alright, everyone, listen up. This is the plan..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a dark room glowed with faint lighting filtered through a glass wall. Master Cyclonis' black silhouette stood before a similar door, leading to the balcony beyond.<p>

"I appreciate the gesture," she said politely, with her best pretence of formality, not bothering to turn around to address her guest. "But I must say it was completely unnecessary. The treaty has not been signed _yet_."

A Sky Knight stood behind Cyclonis, a gleam reflecting off his armor as he shifted his weight, uneasy in his current position. Yet it was his duty to be here. The council had chosen him to represent the Alliance's wishes, and fulfilling his duty was the _honourable_ thing to do.

"The Alliance is aware of that fact," Harrier stated dryly. "And as you are no doubt aware, it is what I have come here to discuss."

Cyclonis turned around at the Guardian's words, saying nothing, but letting her hood peel back from her face. "Go on."

"Yes, well," Harrier stuttered slightly, clearly ill-at-ease. "We propose that the terms of the treaty be acted on now. The... _Storm Hawks_ for the most part have been found, and the remaining members can pose no threat to the resulting peace now."

Cyclonis crossed the room as Harrier spoke, paying little heed to his words.

"The sooner we begin to cooperate the better," Harrier continued, not sure if he was making any real progress. "It will minimize losses on both ends. I believe the Alliance have shown they are more than willing to abide by the terms you have laid out..."

Cyclonis came to a halt beside Harrier, though she continued to face the back of the room. Though she was shorter than Harrier, she still seemed to overshadow him. "What use are the pawns, without their king?" Cyclonis asked in a quiet hiss that Harrier guessed to be rhetorical. "I am sorry, but the original conditions are still in effect. I will not sign without Aerrow."

Harrier narrowed his eyes at Cyclonis' words. _Childish_.

Cyclonis turned sharply to suddenly make eye contact with Harrier, and for a moment he was taken off guard. She couldn't... know what he had just thought? Harrier cleared his throat and tried to remain professional. "See here. This doesn't really make much sense. You were the one, after all, who had proposed this agreement. Wouldn't you wish to see it through? Why delay further?"

Cyclonis was about to respond when she had suddenly noticed that a Nightcrawler stood at the back of the room. That could only mean one thing.

The witch let out a velvety grin, which sent shivers up Harrier's spine. "Very well," Cyclonis said, bitterly sweet. "I will consider it. In the meantime, why don't you wait down in my private study? I will have someone escort you. It... shouldn't take too long." Cyclonis reached out a hand, beckoning the Nightcrawler, who grinned sinisterly up at Harrier. The Sky Knight couldn't help but betray his outright contempt for such a creature. However, he left all the same, yet gave one last remark as Cyclonis turned back to the balcony.

"I'll be waiting," Harrier stated meaningfully.

"Thank you for your patience," Cyclonis replied, a grin still stretched across her face. The Sky Knight exited with the Nightcrawler to leave Cyclonis alone with her thoughts, the red sky glittering across her smile.

* * *

><p>A loud, metallic grinding jolted Radarr awake. It was hard to believe that the Storm Hawk had actually fallen <em>asleep<em> on a Cyclonian Destroyer. He should have been on high alert the whole time. Furious with himself, Radarr stood up and shook himself, looking around.

The ship had come to a stop; that much was clear. Which could only mean one thing…

He had arrived.

Radarr got to his feet and shook himself. So he was here. Now what?

Well, he'd never find out what the Cyclonians were up to sitting here on the docked ship. With careful, deliberate steps he crept from his hiding place and into the hangar bay.

He apparently hadn't been asleep long; the docking had likely jolted him awake. The dock was still crowded with Talons who were leaving the ship. Hiding at the plank entrance, Radarr peered out at the mass of bodies and easily spotted the commander directing everyone onward. He was the man Radarr needed to shadow. Radarr flicked his ears forward to see if he could catch anything the Talon was saying, but the commander was only giving orders at the moment, so Radarr flattened his ears again and lowered himself as close to the ground as he could.

Even just sitting on the Destroyer and being on this dock felt wrong. It smelled awful, for one thing, like crystal pollutant mixed with blood and sweat. Radarr wasn't sure how the humanoids could stand it. Not only this, but there was also something dark and sinister about the place that didn't match the light, bustling atmosphere of soldiers coming home.

Stealing himself for the smell of _a lot_ more sweat, Radarr crept onto the plank and then leapt off it into the midst of the Talons. No one would notice him here; there were just too many people. The only thing he really had to worry about was being stepped on. Not only would that really hurt, but the Talon who did it would probably look down and see him, and then… Well, it wouldn't be good.

Radarr snuck up to the doorway leading into the interior, leaping over people's toes and slinking between their legs. Once there he hid behind a staff stand, waiting for everyone to pass him by. The commander would be one of the last people out. He had to follow him.

He had only just looked the other way for a moment when he saw…

Oh no.

You have _got_ to be kidding!

It wasn't his usual hen, but it was definitely _a_ hen. The dark brown hen was strutting around without a single glance from the Talons. And she was staring right at him, hearts dancing in her eyes.

Figures.

Squawking happily, she fluttered over to Radarr. He was glad the Talons paid her no mind; otherwise, she would have completely given away his position.

Without another thought, Radarr ducked away from her at the nearest escape: the vent. The chicken was right on his tail.

Up the vent they went, Radarr's paws skidding on the metal surface and the hen fluttering behind him. On the plus side, if he got lost, Radarr could just follow the trail of feathers… assuming he could get past the chicken.

The vents kept turning, ascending, descending, branching. Radarr gave up any hope of navigating them. Rather, he began picking the most confusing routes he could in the hopes that the chicken could not follow.

Unfortunately, something always has to happen to make things even worse.

A grate gave from under Radarr as he was running over it. It fell open, and Radarr just managed to grab hold of the edge before he would have fallen…

Er, where was he exactly?

He looked around. It was definitely an office of some sort. Maybe a commander's office? Whoever it was, it was a high ranker. The office was spacious and was filled with the lofty scent of dark perfume. Pink and purple decorative items decorated the shelves. Everything was in perfect order; even the desk, though it certainly had enough papers on top of it to completely bury it, seemed extremely clean. Every paper was perfectly stacked, every paper clip and spare staple in place. That, coupled with the overpowering smell and the sickening amount of pink and purple, made the room absolutely revolting.

Only one Talon commander could _possibly_ have such an office. Radarr's thoughts were confirmed when he spotted a violin case in the corner.

Just Radarr's luck, the door swung open at that precise moment. Speak of the devil… here came Ravess.

Had she walked straight it, she surely would have noticed a furry animal dangling from her ceiling. Thankfully she was talking to someone and had her back to the room.

Without further delay, Radarr scrambled up into the vent again and closed it shut behind him. The chicken, who had been peering down at him, squawked in delight at seeing him, but he grabbed her beak and clamped it shut, putting a finger to his mouth and shushing her. Now was _not_ the time to be making noise.

"…was quite pleased with the payment," a voice was saying. It certainly wasn't Ravess's voice. This was male. Radarr peered down into the room, and his jaw dropped. It was the commander he had been planning to shadow!

Well, that had worked out nicely.

"So everything is in place then?" Ravess hissed.

The commander nodded, bowing his head respectfully. "It will be soon, Commander Ravess."

Ravess smirked. "Master Cyclonis will be pleased."

What…? Suddenly, it hit Radarr like a slap in the face. The box he had seen the Talon commander hand over to the Murk Raiders… it had something to do with a sinister plot. Radarr may not know what it was, but he would bet anything that it was dangerous.

"Now all we need is to find those dumb remaining Storm Hawks," Ravess growled.

"Neither of them have turned up?" the commander asked.

"I haven't reported to Master Cyclonia yet, but I'm sure nothing has changed." Ravess shook her head, irritated. "I don't see why we should even bother worrying about that animal. He's not really worth our time."

"But the Sky Knight… he's important, isn't he?" the commander asked hesitantly.

Radarr's stomach dropped. They'd caught the others. Even so, he felt a pleasant jolt. They hadn't caught Aerrow. He was still on the run.

"If you don't have a Sky Knight, you don't have a Sky Knight squadron, I guess," Ravess said nonchalantly. "But I believe I have some more important work to do in the meantime." She held up her fingernails for inspection. "You may go."

The commander bowed and left the room.

Radarr's mind was whirling. The Murk Raiders had been given an item by the Cyclonians. Not only that, but Radarr felt sure he'd seen a box like that before, which meant someone else had also been given this same... something. But who? How many were there? And most importantly, what exactly was it?

Even more pressing… the others were _here!_ Most of them anyway. And after Radarr hunted them down, it would only be a matter of time before they found Aerrow.

Yet there was still one problem left before he went on his search. Radarr looked up at the chicken whose beak he was still holding. She churred happily. He blinked. What to do with her…?

Then, before he could think twice, he grabbed the chicken, stuffed her down the grate into Ravess's office, and ran for it, laughing as he heard horrified screams and indignant squawks coming from the office.

He only just stepped out another grate, this one close to the floor, when he froze. A familiar scent caught his attention. Could it be...? Radarr dropped to all fours and sniffed the ground intensely. Yes. He'd know that smell anywhere. It was the Storm Hawks!

Squawking excitedly, Radarr dashed through the deserted corridor, following the trail. Could it be his friends had already escaped? Radarr ran with the last vestiges of his strength. The trail was fresh. This was his chance. He could finally be with them again.

The trail led Radarr to the central hangar bay of Cyclonia, the landing strip stretching away just out of sight, around the turn of the wall Radarr had entered from. There were no Cyclonians nearby, but Radarr's sharp hearing picked up activity from outside. Radarr looked towards the sounds and his heart skipped two beats at what he saw.

It was the _Condor_, and just out of sight, Radarr could sense his team was nearby. He just _knew_ it. After so long...

Radarr ran to the exit where the landing strip stretched out. Any minute, he would turn the corner and find his team. He could be with them. With Aerrow. He couldn't stop smiling.

But all too soon, that smile vanished as Radarr came to a sudden halt. What met his eyes was not what he was expecting, and something he never wanted to see.

No...

It couldn't be...

* * *

><p>Aerrow marched alone through an empty hallway. He supposed it was sheer luck (but maybe fate) that allowed him this one moment of peace before the execution of their plan. None of the team was thrilled about Aerrow being on his own to confront Cyclonis, but they all agreed in the end it was the only way. Just so long as they pulled off their half of the mission...<p>

They would. They were his team. They never let him down.

Aerrow took a steadying breath as he drew nearer and nearer to where he knew Cyclonis would be waiting. Everything was falling into place...

He reached the door of Cyclonis' chamber, twin blades drawn. This was it. And yet, that small voice of self preservation that one can never truly ignore told Aerrow to turn back. Just leave. Yet Aerrow was successful in dismissing it. Nothing would go wrong. Nothing bad could happen.

Aerrow opened the doors.

Cyclonis was there, as expected, facing the large glass wall leading to the balcony, just as she had been facing it while talking to Harrier. Aerrow didn't bother to say anything. He merely walked up behind her, calm and determined.

"I've been expecting you," Cyclonis trilled coldly. "It's about time you showed up."

"It's over, Cyclonis."

"Oh far from it, Aerrow. In fact, I'd say this is the very beginning." Without warning, Cyclonis fired a blast from her crystal staff, concealed beneath her cloak. Aerrow dashed to the side, just barely avoiding the shot.

"You're fast to react," Cyclonis complimented smoothly. "But then again, you would have to be to have made it this far." Her hood peeled back, revealing a smug and knowing grin.

"I know what you're up to, Cyclonis – "

"Doubtful,"

"-and I may not have all of the details yet, but either way, I know that the treaty is nothing more than a sham."

"Oh but, Aerrow," Cyclonis mocked in a horribly sweet girlish voice, as if something terribly inconvenient just occurred to her. "Do you have any proof?" She walked away from the glass wall to the center of the room, facing Aerrow head on.

"Not yet," Aerrow confessed, through still holding his ground. "But I'm not going to stop until I get some."

"And what? The easiest solution you could think of was getting a first-hand confession from myself?" Cyclonis flourished her staff, which glowed faintly as a small message crystal flew out of Aerrow's pocket into her clutches. Aerrow's eyes widened in surprise that Cyclonis caught on so quickly, but she merely eyed the crystal with bored distaste. "I'm really hoping this wasn't your only plan." Casually, she dropped it underneath her foot and crushed it into dust.

Aerrow eyed her movement with disdain, and he grimaced up at her.

"Aww, didn't like that, did you?" Cyclonis mocked. "Then again, there's always your testimony, and we both know how much _that_ is worth nowadays." Cyclonis grinned and continued to walk farther back into the room as Aerrow circled around, not letting Cyclonis out of his sight.

"So what?" Aerrow retorted, not phased in the slightest. "Either way I will stop you. I've been to Bogaton. I know you're making secret deals with the Raptors."

"Ohh, _very_ good," Cyclonis chimed. "But is that all? Really? Honestly, Aerrow, I thought you were better than that."

This gave Aerrow pause. There was... more? How much?

Cyclonis smirked. "By the look on your face I can tell you haven't been very thorough. Then again, I suppose I owe you an explanation after everything I've put you through."

Cyclonis raised the one question Aerrow couldn't ignore. "Why us?" he asked. "Why the Storm Hawks?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I only chose you because I knew you would offer the most resistance... buy me the most time."

"Time for what?" Aerrow asked, backing against the full-wall window as Cyclonis began another approach. But then, she phased immediately before him using her crystal magic, causing him to recoil in surprise.

"Why," Cyclonis hissed into his ear. "Time for my _plan_ of course."

Aerrow merely looked into her eyes questioningly as she pulled away, staring back at him intently. "You were right, Aerrow," Cyclonis said, walking back the way she came. "I have been discussing plans with the Raptors, and other misfits as well - those who are insignificant enough to not be noticed. I'm sure you've come to learn how handy a trait that can be. Although, I needed a way to make sure my dealings weren't noticed by the Alliance. I needed them to feel _safe_, so what better way than to combine the two, and send them on a wild goose chase?"

Aerrow narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right here. "Why tell me this?"

"It's not like anyone would believe you anyways," Cyclonis pointed out fiercely. "And besides, you're too late to stop me. Even now, the pieces have been put into motion."

"And which pieces would those be?"

Cyclonis studied Aerrow carefully, her eyes narrowing coolly as if evaluating the strength of her prey. Aerrow shifted on the spot, but would not betray his discomfort. Finally, after several moments of silence, Cyclonis seemed to have come to a decision.

"A crystal bomb."

Aerrow took a minute to process that. "What..." But he was cut off.

"You heard right. A newly invented crystal that exceeds the limit of a normal crystal's power twentyfold. Detonate it, and it will set off an explosion big enough to wipe out the face of an entire terra."

Aerrow remained planted where he stood. This was worse than he thought. But then... there were those blueprints in Repton's study...

"I used Repton's resources to manufacture it, and covert Talons to organize distributions of them across the Atmos," Cyclonis gloated.

"Them?" Aerrow asked, picking up on the plural.

"Let's see," Cyclonis teased, acting horribly casual. "There's the one on Saharr," she listed, counting them off her fingers, "One for Neon, another for the Guardians, and of course," at this, Cyclonis paused, smiling brightly. "There's the one on Atmosia."

"That's impossible," Aerrow said, foolishly hopeful in scepticism at what he was hearing. "There's no way you could have snuck a bomb onto Atmosia, even with the Sky Knights distracted!"

But Cyclonis said nothing. She merely raised an eyebrow knowingly, as if to ask, _couldn't I?_

Aerrow remained where he stood, thinking quickly. Then again... if the treaty was signed, the Alliance's guard would weaken. It made sense... but then... why was she telling him all of this?

"I haven't even told you the best part," Cyclonis continued to gloat, turning her back to Aerrow briefly.

"...What is that?"

Cyclonis pierced Aerrow with her gaze, and smiled sadistically. "The Atmosia bomb is placed underneath the Aurora shards."

Aerrow froze. The Aurora shards? Subjected to that level of power? That would cause a reaction strong enough to wipe out any terra within thirty leagues of Atmosia! Aerrow couldn't let that happen! It was then that he realized something was seriously wrong. Cyclonis was telling him way too much. She wouldn't willingly divulge this information. Not unless she had some assurance of...

Aerrow jumped out of the way just in time as Cyclonis fired a blast of crystal energy straight for him. Cyclonis screamed in frustration as Aerrow tried to counter with his twin blades, but of course she was more than able to defend herself. Aerrow tried to make a sprint for the back of the room, but Cyclonis sent a bolt of energy in his path, causing him to fall in the other direction. Aerrow sat up from where he landed and faced Cyclonis with resentment. But then, his eyes wandered to the door behind her, and she chuckled smoothly as she followed his gaze. There was a deep glimmer in those eyes. It was a dark delight that came with winning a match of wits.

"Expecting someone?"

Aerrow's eyes widened. She knew.

The sudden surprise made Aerrow drop his guard, and with a powerful burst of energy, Cyclonis sent Aerrow flying backward, smashing through the glass onto the balcony. The force of the attack was so violent that Aerrow felt his head bash against the railing at the edge of the platform, and for a minute he felt his vision go blurry, as small pieces of glass bit into his skin.

"I knew about your little plan all along, Aerrow," Cyclonis stated coldly, gliding towards him. Aerrow made to reach over for his twin blades which he had dropped, but he yelled out as another blast from Cyclonis' crystal staff hit him square on the chest. In his moment of weakness, Cyclonis sent another smaller shot towards the swords, blasting them off the edge of the balcony.

"Did you really think your little escape would go unnoticed? Making me confess my plan, then being saved from your little friends at the last moment? How obvious."

Aerrow looked up at Cyclonis with absolute contempt, but she smiled down at him, enjoying every moment of his pain. "It was easy recapturing them," she said. "Look for yourself."

Cyclonis pointed down, far below them with her staff. Aerrow shakily rose to his feet and looked over the railing, to the place where Cyclonis indicated. Directly below them was the central landing strip, and beside it, the docking bay. Aerrow could make out the _Condor_ which still sat there, undisturbed. And upon a closer look, there were four recognizable faces standing just outside it, guarded by Talons.

His team... clearly thwarted in an attempt to reclaim the _Condor_.

"No..." was all Aerrow muttered. "No..."

"Cheer up, Aerrow," Cyclonis said from behind him, as he continued to look down at his team. "Now Atmos can be at peace."

Aerrow looked up just in time to see a wave of purple energy moving directly towards him. The blast pressed him backwards overtop of the railing – too far – and with a sick weightless rise of his body, he fell.

Past the balcony, through the clouds... Cyclonis and the team down below watched in breathlessness as the distant body wavered in and out of sight in the ever present smog that hung in the air. From her place at the top of the tower, Cyclonis waited, until distinctly through the silence, a muffled thud echoed back up to the tower.

The clouds cleared, and on the landing strip far below, was the form of a body with a distinctive mop of red hair.

Before anyone had a chance to react, one of the Talons guarding the Storm Hawks rushed forward and examined the body. Cyclonis craned over the edge of the balcony, straining for a better look. But it was irrelevant, because after a handful of seconds that felt like minutes, the Talon called up to the tower.

"He's dead!"

_He's dead..._

"NO!" Piper suddenly cried out desperately, trying to fight past the guards, but then they were all interrupted as a loud, mournful howl resonated through the air.

"Radarr!" Junko called out in surprise, as the animal made his unexpected appearance from the doors of the hangar bay. Oblivious to everything around him, Radarr made a frantic dash to where Aerrow laid. However, the Talon standing there intercepted him, and restrained him by holding Radarr firmly in place.

"Get your hands off him!" Piper called out, finally breaking past the other Talons.

"Restrain them!" Cyclonis called down frantically from her tower. However, the Storm Hawks would not give in, and they took out a handful of the guards, while the remaining Talons shot blasts from their staffs, trying to regain order.

But then, one such shot took a turn for the worst when amidst the fighting and chaos, one of the Talons aimed for Piper, who ducked out of the way. The resulting shot made its way across to the other docking bay, where crates of raw, unstable cloaking crystals still remained. The stray blast found its home in one of the larger crates, and the resulting explosion from the unstable crystal reaction shook the entire tower. Cyclonis fell back from the shockwave as the blast took out the supports to several of the docks, metal plating falling into the Wastelands with deep groans and clouds of dust.

The Talons ran for cover while in the chaos the remaining Storm Hawks tried to regroup, but by then it was too late. They fell along with the destroyed bits of the tower, the _Condor_ groaning after them as it slid off its platform at a sickly tilt, some good twenty feet away.

Cyclonis, who had resumed watching the spectacle, stared down intently at the events that had just unfolded before her. She didn't say or do anything. She merely looked at the empty air, where the Storm Hawks once stood, and had now fallen into oblivion.

"Cyclonis!"

The witch turned as her name was called, for once unaware that someone was standing behind her. It was Harrier. Clearly he wasn't there for long, but judging by the look on his face, he knew perfectly well what had just happened to the Storm Hawks.

He stood there, shock still, mouth slightly open. Cyclonis brushed past him dismissively, as he rushed to the edge of the balcony to get a better look at the carnage that had just unfolded.

"Be happy, Harrier," Cyclonis mulled. "It seems we both got what we wanted."

But Harrier clearly was conflicted. The ghastly look on his face was pitiful to behold, something Cyclonis did not understand.

"The Storm Hawks are gone," Cyclonis said matter-of-factly, snapping Harrier out of his thoughts. "And as such, there is no longer any reason to delay."

Cyclonis walked back inside, Harrier following close behind, tearing himself away from the scene below with some difficulty.

"Now," Cyclonis continued, retreating deeper into the shadows. "Where do I sign?"


	14. Author's Note

Author's Note

HELLO AGAIN!

If any of my old readers are even still around, then I am sure you are surprised to see me again after a three year hiatus. Sadly, no, this is not a new chapter, but I do bring some very big and exciting news!

The reason for the hiatus (as I'm sure some of you have figured out) is that I am no longer involed in the Storm Hawks fandom and haven't been for quite some time. After the series ended, other interests, school, and just life in general got in the way of me finishing this fic.

HOWEVER I always remembered the promises I made to various readers on several occasions that I intended to finish this fic. Additionally, WhispertheWolf and I had poured so much energy and time into this that it felt a shame to never give it a proper send-off.

So with that in mind, the solution we came up with was to host a livestream wrap-up party for this fanfic!

**THE END-FIC LIVESTREAM WILL START ON DECEMBER 30TH, 2014 AT 11:00AM CENTRAL TIME.**

The link to the stream can be found on my profile page. Both myself and WhispertheWolf, who is the co-writer to this fic, will be there, and will read over our old notes and divulge the ending to this fic. Additionally, we will answer any questions, and just all in all hang out with you peeps and have a great time. I also have my tablet on hand, so you can bet that Storm Hawks and Relentless-themed drawings will be a thing! There is no set end-time for the stream, but it's expected to go on for at least a couple hours.

I hope to see a bunch of you there!


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